The Returnance
by Angel of Neptune
Summary: Discontinued  After many celebrations of the Wicked Witch's death, a new evil appears in the wonderful land of Oz, forcing Glinda the Good to confront the decisions she had made in the past and to accept a truth she cannot fully grasp.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: The Returnance

**Author:** AoN

**Word Count:** 5,300

**Genre:** Drama, Adventure

**Rating:** PG-13

**Feedback:** Please and thank you! Let me know what I'm doing right or doing wrong.

**Summary:** After many celebrations of the Wicked Witch's death, a new evil appears in the wonderful land of Oz, forcing Glinda the Good to confront the decisions she had made in the past and to accept a truth she cannot fully grasp.

**Chapter One**

To the Good Witch of the North, an eternity had past when in reality, it had only been year. One year, twelve months, fifty-two weeks, three hundred sixty-five days – it did not matter how it was framed, it was still an eternity to the most beloved of all of Oz. However, for three hundred sixty four nights, Glinda had been plagued by nightmares, nightmares of a memory that constantly played on repeat in her mind, memories she could not shut out.

_"Hurry! No one could know you're here! Hide yourself!"_

And what did she do?

She hid herself, like she was told. Oh, why did she hide? Why did she listen? She could have helped! She could have done something other than hide and promise to keep quiet, promise to not try to clear her friend's name.

These were thoughts that haunted her on a daily basis – the 'what if's and 'what could have happened's, mixed in with the wailing scream as her one true friend melted away before her. For a year, Glinda had not experienced a moment of peace. She was doing her best to not only keep her own troubles under control, but she also had to keep Oz's political madness at bay and in check.

The Wizard was gone, according to Glinda, due to the unbearable hardships of wizardship. The news had shocked many Ozians, but most had accepted and allowed Glinda to be Glinda the Good – some even went as far to call her the Good Witch of the North. Although many Ozians accepted her, there were some that did not. Some believed the Wizard was forced out of their beloved Oz and demanded for Madam Morrible's freedom. Others believed it was time for everyone to embrace the old teachings and then there were the radicals who believed the Wicked Witch of the West was still alive, in hiding, but alive. Each group only served to give Glinda headaches, especially the radicals – she had witnessed the melting herself. There was no way her friend could still be alive – and she had been anything but wicked!

_"Good news! She's dead! The Witch of the West is dead!"_

Glinda could still vividly recall standing over the pile of clothes – the black dress which had been an improvement over the frock she had been so fond of at Shiz – and that black hat… The hideous hat Glinda's grandmother had sent her, the hat that Glinda meant to be a horrible trick on the roommate she had hated so much…

She remembered standing over the remains of her friend, clutching the hat that had started their friendship and with Chistery at her side. Outside, Ozians had gathered and heard the good news, they had gathered and started celebrating in the streets.

_"The enemy of all of us here in Oz is dead! Good news!"_

For the millionth time in this long enduring eternity, a lump had crept up her throat and her blue eyes began to sting as she tried to keep her temper, her anger, in check. Good news, they would say. Good news! They had been brainwashed by the Wizard, brainwashed and here Glinda was forced to endure this singing once again a year later, forced to not clear her friend's name.

Oh how badly she wanted to go to the celebration today and convince her fellow Ozians that it had been the Wizard – the Wizard had been wicked, not the Witch! Glinda knew, hwoever, what would happen if she did. As much as the Ozians loved her, they would turn against her for speaking ill against their beloved Wizard. The radicals may love her for it, yes, but then Glinda knew it would be her in prison and then Madam Morrible would be calling the shots. Frankly, that would not do. All the work GLinda had been doing for the sake of Animal rights would have been for nothing.

Therefore, it did not matter what Glinda wanted, but she knew her friend would have wanted it to be this way. Who cares about the status of a name when Animals were slowly getting their rights?

So today, at the thirteenth hour, Glinda would stand before the crowd of Ozians and cheerfully smile as she delivered a speech, reminding everyone how fortunate they all were, how they finally could live in peace.

_"Finally a day that's Wicked Witch free!"_

A sigh escaped her as Glinda rolled over onto her side in bed. She pulled the covers close to her thinned figure. Pretending ot be something one was not can take a toll on the body. Throughout the course of the year, there had been times where Glinda had to force herself to be happy to the point where she made herself physically ill (today would probably be one of those days). Glinda had picked up on a few tricks, however. If she did not refer to her friend by name, it was less painful to think about.

And Glinda knew the name was only known by few Ozians and those who knew would not dare utter it. If they gave a name to the enemy of Oz, if they gave a name to the Wicked Witch of the West, they would make her seem more humane, one of them with her own life and her own story. Ozians would discover she was misunderstood, she was not evil, but then the Ozians would have to believe their Wizard had been evil and that simple would not do.

That was Glinda's theory anyway.

After spending the entire night tossing and turning, without any amount of sleep, Glinda finally forced herself to sit up. She had to get up. Oz knew how long it would take her to get ready for today's… festivities.

She swung her legs over the edge of the mattress and pushed herself onto her feet, keeping the covers wrapped around her petite body, her security blanket if you will. Glinda dragged herself over to the open window. The guards had warned her about sleeping with her window open and curtains drawn back, but Glinda did not care. She left them open day and night when the weather permitted it (otherwise the curtains were constantly drawn back).

The view was spectacular of the Emerald City and beyond the city's limits. It was a view Glinda could enjoy from the comfort of her own bed which was plenty of times, like she did during the night. It also allowed her to watch a sunset whenever her schedule permitted it.

Yes, the view and the sunsets were probably reason enough to keep at least the curtains drawn back whenever she damn well pleased, but they were not her primary reasons, of course.

_"So if you care to find me, look towards the western sky!"_

It was a silly idea, Glinda would be the first to admit. She knew first hand, she witnessed it first-hand after all, that the Witch was dead and she would not be flying across the sky any time soon on that filthy old broom, but a tiny part of her hoped beyond all hope that she would.

She hoped beyond all hope that her good friend was still alive, but… no, not possible. Glinda witnessed the melting and all she had to remember her friend by was that black hat Glinda herself still could not pull off even if her life depended on it.

Well, that and the Grimmerie. After a year with the book, Glinda could read just one spell – the levitation spell no less. The dead, lost language was difficult and that was putting it lightly. It made her wish she had spent time studying languification at Shiz, not sorcerery, but then again, Glinda was extremely terrible with languages. Glinda had a hard time keeping her upland dialect in check when addressing Ozians as a whole – could you imagine attempting to decipher an entire book written in a language completely abandoned by its speakers?

By her own standards, understanding one spell was impressive, but it was not as if Glinda had bewitched a broomstick or had given monkeys wings. No, Glinda had succeeded in bewitching a teaspoon during a private breakfast here in her chamber. She had been excited, so proud of herself that she did not know where the damn thing ended up – probably floated through the window and disappeared into the streets of the Emerald City.

The idea made Glinda smile weakly. Out of the two of them, Glinda had been the weaker student. She probably never would have been allowed to study under Madam Morrible had it not been for the Witch. Madam Morrible did not believe she had what it took – the Witch believed otherwise and probably was the sole reason why Glinda got so far in her studies.

Oz, how Glinda missed her.

Allowing the covers to slip down onto the floor, Glinda turned around and headed back over to the sie of the bed. Although she doubted the maids would be around today – it was a holiday after all – she had to hide it just in case. Picking up one of the pillows, Glinda revealed the black pointy hot which she picked up and hugged closely to her chest. It was her most prized possession needless to say.

It was also her most dangerous.

If one of the maids or servants discovered it, Glinda would not be able to explain herself – they would not allow it. The political tension was too thick. That did not stop her from taking it out whenever she missed her friend the most.

And on the first anniversary of her death, Glinda was truly missing her.

Crossing the room to one of her dressers, Glinda pulled out one of the draws and buried the hat under various items of clothing.

She had to get ready.

**xxxx**

"No one mourns the Wicked!" someone had jeered from the crowd. It was a statement quickly followed by "No one cries they won't return!" They were all declarations heard before – a year ago – and it stung just as badly now as it did then. As her bubble began to descend, the shoutings grew louder until someone from the crowd took notice.

"Look!" she heard a voice shout over all the others. "It's Glinda!" And with that it was time to put on a show for the Ozians.

Hearing the gasps and cheers that were intended for her, Glinda forced a bright smile, a fake smile she had perfected over the last year. She had made it a point to be among the Ozians during certain events; she did not want to hide behind a mask like the Wizard. No, the Ozians would know Glinda the Good, they would know who she was and would be relatable – approachable unlike the Wizard. She did not want to be feared, simple as that.

The cheering grew when the bubble landed on the stage the event committee had built in the plaza specifically for this occasion and the crowd tried to pack into the small space even tighter to get a better look at their Glinda the Good. Children were hoisted onto their parents' shoulders as they all watched her with wide, bright eyes, beaming. There were so many… it was a little overwhelming and they were all here for one thing – to see her.

So much planning had gone into this day and this was only the beginning. She was scheduled for more appearances, all public, which had made the guards nervous. Today, everyone was at full attention. Security was important – they had to protect not only Glinda but also the citizens of Oz. They had been afraid that the radical groups or Wizard followers would attempt to do something today.

There was no sign of danger. So far, everything was clear.

Glinda was well aware of the situation, yes, but it did not stop her. These people loved her, she had to be here for them, right?

Maybe it was a little dark of her to think, but what would it matter to her personally if something happened to her? Everyone she cared for was already gone, she would be leaving no one behind. If anything, she would be joining old friends again.

No, those thoughts were way too dark for Glinda the Good.

Glinda had changed over the course of a year.

Exhaling deeply, Glinda walked up to the podium and the cheers began to die down. "My fellow Ozians," she began, casting complete and utter silence onto the crowd. They were ready to listen to her every word, ready to eat everything up. Oh how badly she wanted to tell them the truth!

_"You mustn't clear my name."_

Right.

"My fellow Ozians," she repeated. Glinda had gone over this speech time and time again in her head as she prepared for the day. She went through it during her hair and make-up sessions, as she was getting dressed and accessorized, figuring that by the time she reached this moment, the speech would feel natural and not forced. Standing here, however, in front of a crowd clueless about the truth and celebrating… she would have rather been with the radicals – at least they were mourning the Witch's passing.

"Friends," she found herself saying. Would they notice if she just duplicated the speech from last year? Yes, they probably would, but would they care? These people, for the most part, hung on every word their Glinda the Good said. All she had to do was sound positive and reassuring.

She was trying to convince herself that this truly would be that easy.

"My friends – what a wonderful year it has been for us all!"Glinda officially began. Her statement was followed by a roar of cheers – many were waving emerald ribbons into the air. "It has been a year of peace for us all!" she lied through her teeth, forcing a smile. More cheers followed – if this continued, it was bound to be a long day, one which she did not want to endure.

"Every corner of Oz has celebrated a year without wickedness, for a year ago today … a young girl from a land beyond Oz, a land known as Kansas," Glinda continued, blue eyes scanning the crowd which was now buzzing with silence. "She came to our aid with the companionship of her dog D- Toto along with the Scarecrowd, Lion and Tin-Man.

These heroes, our heroes," Glinda corrected, not really wanting to claim these heroes as her own. "They confronted the greatest enemy Oz has ever known, they confronted the Wicked Witch of the West – an act of courage many of us would not have done – and it was the young girl, Dorothy, who took it upon herself to attack the Wicked Witch with a bucket of water, bringing upon her melting and bringing upon us, our peace."

Glinda paused there, knowing full well the story of the melting would be followed by cheering. It was also followed with the jeering of 'no one mourns the Wicked,' which Glinda also expected – if only they knew the truth, her heart was aching horribly and she knew she had to go on, she had to finish.

Once the silence returned, Glinda willed herself to go on. "Although we are celebrating the triumph of goodness over the wicked today, we also wish to remember those whom we love dearly who have perished by the hand of the Wicked Witch."

All of a sudden, it had gone from being quiet to absolute silence and the energy of the crowd became extremely heavy. Glinda did not want to mention this since reality of the matter was no one perished by the hand of the Wicked Witch, she was always the one to extend a helping hand. Glinda knew some perished uring the witch hunts, but they had all been accidents – accidents passed off as evil magic. However, Glinda knew if she said nothing, the people of Oz might use it against her. Perhaps the idea was a bit intense, but the political tension was so tense… she rather be safe than sorry.

"Their memories will live on with us and with all of Oz," Glinda went on. "They will be remembered for their actions which aided in the downfall of the Wicked Witch."

The heaviness seemed to eb lifted somewhat and the crowd began applauding once again.

"Let us never forget them or our heroes, my friends," Glinda warned. "For they have risked much for us to be able to stand here today in peace, enjoying equally the goodness that was casted upon us. As we go forth today to celebrate the downfall of an enemy we all had in common, we should also celebrate the lives lost-"

"Oh what a celebration we'll have today!" someone had overly excited shouted from the front row, catching Glinda a little off guard which she played off with a small, light laugh.

"Oh yes, my fellow Ozians!" Glinda agreed. "Thank goodness! A year that has been free from wickedness! What a celebration indeed!" she exclaimed, holding out her arms.

With a wave of her hands, clouds of glitter and brightly colored streamers sprayed over the crowd, ringing in another round of cheers. It was a simple little charm she had learned in Shiz and they loved it. Glinda was now ready to take her leave, but something at the foot of the stage caught her eye. Someone had taken it upon themselves to toss a handmade doll onto the stage. That did not shake Glinda, oh no, but the fact that the doll had green skin did – not only that, but tied around the doll's neck was a tight rope.

She was going to lose it.

She could not handle this anymore.

And the day was only starting.

This was only going to continue.

This was going to be a test of her might and will power and, frankly, Glinda was ready to label herself a failure. She had to turn away from the crowd and lower her head to hide her eyes that were already stinging uncontrollably. No, she could not cry, not in front of these people – especially not in front of these people here in the plaza or in front of everyone that she would have to encounter today.

"Lady Glinda?"

Immediately, Glinda's shoulders tensed. Blinking furiously, she quickly pulled herself together – she had to – before turning to face the guard that had addressed her. "Yes?" she replied, forcing another smile.

"Lady Glinda, you have fifteen minutes until your next scheduled appointment – at the gates," the guard reminded, a reminder she did not need. She had her entire schedule memorized, every painstaking minute of it.

"Oh, why yes, thank you!" Glinda replied with a fake cheer in her tone of voice. "Mustn't keep anyone waiting, shouldn't I? Especially on a glorious day such as this one – thank you!"

Long day indeed. Oz knows she should be rewarded in some shape or form when her schedule appearances were over for the day this evening. If she reached that point, she would definitely merit something or another for having to deal with all these lies…

**xxxx**

"Oh my fellow Ozians!" Glinda had gushed into the last crowd of the day. The sun had gone down and the fireworks were scheduled to begin. Luckily for her, it was not mandatory for her to stay beyond the opening speech she had just delivered for the evening festivities and she had no intention of staying not after this long day. Nor did it matter if her Ozians were begging for their beloved Glinda the Good to stay, she just could not anymore. They have had their Glinda the Good since morning. "What a day it has been, but now I must retire!"

"But Lady Glinda!"

"No! Stay with us, Lady Glinda!"

"Oh, please, Lady Glinda!"

"Lady Glinda!"

Had it been any other occasion, Glinda would have changed her mind, she would have stayed with her fellow Ozians and she would have enjoyed her time with them – who would not want to be among a crowd that loved them? However, today had drained her physically and mentally and all she wanted was that sweet escape she had been craving since she woke up this morning.

"Goodness knows I do not want to disappoint you, my friends, but I must be going now!" Glinda replied to the pouting crowd. "We have spent such a wonderful day together, don't you agree?" As she spoke, Glinda glanced up at the sky to spot her descending bubble. "Now, please, enjoy these lovely evening festivities! Oh I do care to hear about them! But as for now, I must depart and bid you all farewell!"

Just on time – as she spoke her final words, the bubble arrived. To the Ozians, it did not matter, they only continued to pout and whine at the idea of her departure. After all, the night was young! There was still so much celebrating to do!

Let them continue celebrating, let them enjoy the show that was planned for the evening! Glinda, however, was ready, truly ready to retire. Ignoring the whining, Glinda found herself in her bubble and departing, but she still could not drop her guard. She still had to put on her own show for the palace guards and servants before she could even reach her room, but that was alright… She had already made it throughout the day, what was a few minutes more, right?

She could do this.

She was so close, so close to just curling up in bed and sleeping. She was drained, so tired. This could not be a yearly occurrence, at least that is what she hoped. She knew she would be wrong. This was a big day – the witch had been the greatest enemy of all of Oz.

Glinda would always dread this day, a day which would only serve to remind her that she was truly alone in this world. Yes, nearly all of Oz loved her, but what did that matter if she had no real close friends? Funny, was it not? She was loved by many, but at the end of the day… Glinda was truly alone.

It was a daunting realization, one that today made extremely clear.

The short trip back to the palace seemed even shorter since she was lost in her own thoughts. The bubble had landed in the designated area – the large balcony connected to the library. One of the servants was already waiting for her there. Glinda had to snap back into reality as the bubble disappeared.

"Welcome back, Lady Glinda," the young woman servant greeted with a small bow.

"It is definitely good to be back," Glinda replied honestly. She had been waiting to return since leaving that morning after all – her own little secret. "But what are you doing here, Miss Evella? Surely you were given the day off…"

The young woman smiled faintly as her tired hazel eyes met her Lady Glinda's. The woman had to be just a few years younger than Glinda, but the experience that was echoing in those hazel eyes was showing someone much older (not that Glinda lacked experience of her own, of course, but everyone had their own story to tell). "I was, Lady Glinda, but… I am the sole provider for my son, my little Kiki – he's off celebrating with his aunt today. Only two, he wouldn't understand, but it gave me the day to work since everyone else wanted to be off festivating."

Yes that was right – Evella was a part time worker in the palace, but she always did her job well. She was rather impressive, Glinda had noticed, but she had been completely unaware of the girl's living situation. She tried not to look a little shocked, but Glinda feared Evella may have caught her staring. Glinda had been actting all day, she had bound to slip up somewhere. It was better now and earlier. "S-surely you would have wanted to be with your little Kiki today of all days, Miss Evella," Glinda responded, not putting much thought into her answer. It was not until after did she realize she might have offended. "I-I mean… oh, it's been a long day! Please disregard my babbling mouth!"

Evella could not help but laugh lightly, amused that one of Oz's most powerful people was verbally stumbling over a commoner like herself – and to be addressed as Miss Evella! It was an honor! "Please don't fret, Lady Glinda!" she grinned. "Yes, I would rather be with him today, but not because of this… pardon me, ridiculous holiday."

"Ridiculous holiday…?" Glinda repeated slowly, arching an eyebrow.

"Believe me when I say I am by no means a radical," Evella quickly explained. "I was just never a fan of the Wizard's old policies and I have cousins who attended Shiz during the time of the Witch. Imagine, the enemy of Oz, an Animal rights supporter – you must be aware, Lady Glinda. After all, you went to school together."

"Y-yes," Glinda muttered. This conversation had taken her by surprise. She wanted very much to drop her guard, but she knew she could not. There was the possibility that Evella was a spy, trying to get her to talk – oh and she was such a nice girl. "Well, no – our paths simply crossed at school. I never really did get to know her," Glinda willed herself to lie some more. Before she could say anymore, a loud bang exploded behind her and both women nearly jumped out of their skins in fright.

They both turned around in time to see the night sky by lit up green by massive fireworks, signaling the start of the evening festivities which they were both missing out. Glinda's eyes had locked onto the bright lights as she dragged herself over to the edge of the balcony. Evella followed, but lingered a little behind. From the balcony, they both watched the light show in silence, a silence that Glinda welcomed.

It did not last long, the show was quickly over and Glinda found herself forcing to smile again as she turned around to face Evella. "Well, as lovely as that was… I really must retire-"

"Lady Glinda!"

One of the palace guards had stepped onto the balcony. Would today never end? "Lady Glinda, we did not want to disobey your orders and enter your private chamber-"

"What do you mean?" Glinda was quick to ask.

"Hours ago, one of your servants informed us that entrance to your chamber was no permitted at any cost," the guard began to explain.

"The only servant here today is me," Evella spoke up. "And I didn't pass any order along from Lady Glinda. No one else is here."

"What do you both mean?" Glinda repeated. What was going on here? There simply was no end to today. Once more she was feeling unsettled – the combination of today's events, the strange conversation with Evella and now this. Of course it was enough to shake her nerves.

"Then there's been a breech in the palace security!" the guard stated. "Lady Glinda, you must leave immediately – at once. I'll order a search of your chamber-"

"That!" Glinda quickly, maybe even a little bit too quickly, interrupted. "Won't be necessary!" A search of her private chamber – a complete search of her private chamber – would without a doubt lead to the discovery of the black hat she had hidden away and then she would not be able to explain herself. No, she would be labeled a radical and thrown into prison with Madam Morrible and that was company she did not wish to keep. "Let us be a little more rational!" Glinda continued. "N-Not everyone who is part of the service department has taken the day off! After all, Miss Evella is here with us today!"

Evella's eyebrows furrowed as she frowned. "But Lady Glinda, no one else has clocked in. No one else on the staff has been near the palace." Why was Lady Glinda so eager to ignore her own safety? This issue had been thoroughly discussed by both the staff and palace guards. Not everyone agreed with Lady Glinda and if these radical groups wanted to attempt something, they would have picked today to have done something of all days.

"And to have an imposter relay direct orders from you, orders which you did not give," the guard pointed out. "Lady Glinda, pardon me, but we cannot ignore this, not when it effects your own personal safety. The people of Oz depend on you – they need you."

Perhaps it was she who was being a little irrational and not actually seeing the danger of the current situation. She was also briefed about the possibility of something occurring today – something politically motivated at that – and the situation they all currently found themselves in was a bit odd to say the least. She knew they were only trying to protect her, but she had been doing exactly the same thing – protecting herself, but her motives were flawed. Well, she could explain herself, but then it would force her to reveal everything which was something she could not do. She promised she would not.

"It's been a long day – I'm not thinking straight," Glinda explained. "Please, take care of the matter at hand. I'll… well, I suppose I could join everyone at the festivities. Miss Evella, do you wish to join me?"

Evella watched the guard nod and take leave to notify the rest of the security. "I shouldn't leave, Lady Glinda," she replied, turning to the other woman.

"Your safety is in as much danger as mine," Glinda pointed out. Evella could tell Glinda's attention was elsewhere. Following her gaze, one could tell Glinda was intently staring into the darken library. It was not until the slam of a door closing did Glinda break out of the little trance. "Something's not right," she stated.

Evella was a bit taken back – was she really this airheaded? "Of course something's not right, Lady Glinda! An imposter-"

"No, not that," Glinda interrupted. "Well, of course that, but don't you find it rather odd? Captain… what's his name? Captain Tandy was so eager to inform me that no one was allowed in my chamber, but he didn't actually report anything to me. It's confusifying, isn't it?"

"Pardon for my frankness, Lady Glinda, but how is it by any means at all confusifying?" Evella asked. "There's a security breech! You must leave! Summon your bubble!"

"Miss Evella, think about it – the Captain did not tell us everything!" Glinda pointed out. "Either, poor soul, we didn't let him or he is hiding something from us."

"Lady Glinda, you're reading into this too-"

"Am I?" Glinda quickly questioned. "He did not want to enter my chamber. He did not want to disobey orders, but he had intentions of entering. Something is wrong, he knows something is wrong, but did not want to disobey orders – Miss Evella, I need to know what's going on!"

Before Evella could even comprehend what was said, Glinda was already crossing the balcony to enter the library. This was not good, not good at all. Glinda was one of Oz's most loved public figures. If anything happened to her… "Lady Glinda!" she called out, following after her. "Lady Glinda! Where are you going?"

"To my chamber!"

_**To Be Continued**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: The Returnance

**Author:** AoN

**Word Count:** 5,300

**Genre:** Drama, Adventure

**Rating:** PG-13

**Feedback:** Please and thank you! Let me know what I'm doing right or doing wrong.

**Summary:** After many celebrations of the Wicked Witch's death, a new evil appears in the wonderful land of Oz, forcing Glinda the Good to confront the decisions she had made in the past and to accept a truth she cannot fully grasp.

**Chapter Two**

_"No good deed goes unpunished. No act of charity goes unresented"_

Time was of the essence. The guards would only be gone from their posts for a little while and that is all she needed to sneak into the private chamber. Once inside, she only needed a few minutes more to reassure herself that everything would be alright and then she would be on her way at last.

She willed herself to walk quickly and attempted to do so as quickly as possible. Reality of the matter was that each step echoed horribly off the walls. It was damn near impossible to be anything but noisy. That should not have mattered, the halls were empty and they would continue to be so for a little while longer. No one was around to hear her. That being the case, was she truly making a sound?

No! It was not the time to be philosophical! Not when she was in a race against it and the active guards on duty.

Damnit, was this hallway always this long? It felt as if it had been going on for an eternity – an eternity, just like the last year had been. Having to spend the majority of the last year hiding, truly she had lost track and perhaps even the concept of time.

Focus! It was not the time to let her mind wander either. She could not think about what-ifs and what-could-have-beens, they did not matter. What has happened has happened and she would not change that – she did not have the magic to change it either.

Her heart skipped a beat in her chest when she finally caught sight of the damned door she was looking for. She reached for the knob, turned and pushed it open. Thank Oz it was unlocked. She quickly stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Only then did she allow herself to sigh a sigh of relief. She allowed herself to relax a little, but she still needed to pay attention. If she, herself, was able to get in here this easily, then so could someone else and then this would have been all for nothing. She could not risk that, this was too important to risk everything now.

When her heart rate calmed, she took a step forward into the room, scanning it with her dark eyes. It was messy, but she was positive it was the right one. She walked over to the bed and laid upon it the bundle she had been carrying before pulling back the black hood that hid her emerald features so well. Next, she pulled off the gloves that had served the same purpose. If she had been recognized or spotted, this would have definitely been for nothing.

Elphaba tossed the gloves onto the bed and walked over to the open window. It would be too chilly if it remained open so she took it upon herself to close it. She then picked up the blankets from the floor and piled it neatly on the bed before picking up the bundle and placing it on top on the pile. At this point, she had planned to just leave. It was supposed to be that simple, but Elphaba found herself lingering and asking herself if she was truly doing the right thing.

It was hard not to look at the bundle – at the baby. She could not just keep referring it to as the bundle. She had attempted to keep things as less personal as possible because she knew this was going to be difficult when the day did finally come, but there was no way to not humanize that situation.

She was a mother. And she was abandoning her daughter. Their daughter.

No, Fiyero had told her otherwise.

They would not be able to give this child – this child who thankfully was not green – the life every child so rightfully deserved. They were not abandoning this child. They were not. No. Theirs would be a life of secrecy and hiding. It would not be a life suited for a child who needed to flourish and grow. This was something that they had decided upon when they found out she was with child. They could not bring an entirely innocent creature with them to the other world they would escape to. They did not know what to expect in the other world, they could not put a child through what they would have to endure. So they had quickly settled it, the child would be born in Oz and they would make sure the baby would be taken care for, would be able to have the life any child deserved.

Of course, that rationality would not apply if the child had been green, but thank Oz the little girl did not wash up green. She was just a little lighter than Fiyero – no trace of green, they could continue with her plan. To tell the truth, Elphaba had mixed feelings about the situation. Yes, she wanted to give this child an excellent life and she wanted to provide that for her, personally. Not that she was not this way; she was going to give this child a better life doing this than actually raising the girl herself. A part of her did not want to give her up, but… they had to and… Elphaba could not think of a better person. She could not think of any other person she trusted more – she trusted no one else. It was as simple as that.

Elphaba sighed heavily as she gazed down at the child who stared right back up at her with matching dark brown eyes.

_"It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime…"_

"I don't know why I feel like I have to explain this to you," Elphaba said softly, taking a seat on the edge of the mattress. "You don't understand, you'll never understand because you'll never know. Glinda already thinks of me dead and for my safety – and yours – I can't tell her the truth, but I know her and I trust her to take you in and be the mother you deserve and need, little one."

The child did not respond, she just watched intently. Since the baby had been born, this was the most Elphaba had spoken to her. It was heart breaking and perhaps, yes, a little wicked of her – for Oz's sake, the child did not even have a name, but they were all precautions.

"Based on my actions, you wouldn't know it, but I do love you, little one," Elphaba reassured. She hesitated at first, but Elphaba ran the back of her finger against the child's soft, pudgy cheek. "Just like I told Glinda… You'll be with me like a hand print on my heart."

Elphaba was about to say more when she heard a thump from outside in the hallway. The guard had returned to his post meaning that the morning opening ceremony was already over. GLinda kept it short – odd. The Glinda Elphaba knew usually had a hard time keeping quiet. Now she was not sure what to do, she had been expecting more time – a longer speech. She could fly out the window, but what if someone spotted her? That would definitely put a damper on things now wouldn't it? All of Oz was celebrating a year free of wickedness. If she were spotted it would send everyone into a frenzy that Glinda would have to later deal with.

Do not panic.

The window was out of the question and there was only one other option – the same way she came in, but she would have to take care of the guard somehow.

How was definitely the question.

She looked down at the child again. The little thing had already fallen asleep without a worry in the world. If only the guard would just do that! If only she had a spell!

That was it.

A spell.

The Grimmerie.

It had to be around here somewhere – she had given the book to Glinda during their last encounter. It would not be needed today, Glinda was only giving speeches today, right? The Grimmerie served no purpose today, so it had to be in this room, but where?

Elphaba was instantly on her feet.

Where would Glinda keep – or hide – the Grimmerie? It definitely was not something she could parade around with. It was an important and extremely dangerous book that could bring chaos if fallen into the wrong hands.

So where was it now?

Elphaba looked around at all the dressers lined along the wall. Why did Glinda need so many clothes? And she knew the second door in the room just had to lead to a walk closet. These were all potential hiding places which was good, of course, but vaguely annoying to Elphaba and her current situation.

One of the draws caught her eye. It was cracked open a little and maybe she should start there. Elphaba quickly and quietly crossed the room and pulled the draw out. Nothing but various articles of random clothing. Glinda was not what you would call organized.

A patch of black caught her eye. Eyebrows furrowing, she brushed aside the colorful clothing and pulled out the patch of black which ended up being her old hat – the hat that started everything.

_"So here, out of the goodness of my heart!"_

Her heart sunk.

Glinda kept it.

Oh how she wished she could tell her friend the truth! She wanted so badly to just wait here, wait for Glinda to return and then she could tell her everything!

That was not an option.

Well, it was, but it was too risky and would put Glinda in danger. She could not and would not do that to her best friend. It had to be this way; it just had to be this way.

"Glin, I'm so sorry," Elphaba murmured to the hat, momentarily forgetting about her hunt for the Grimmerie. She continued to stare at the hat in her hands. She turned it over a couple of times before glancing over her shoulder towards the bundle sleeping on the bed.

Elphaba may have been going against her better judgment, but… she would not be talking to Glinda directly. She would just be leaving a sign, a signal showing that she was alright – no! Then Glinda would know, then she would be in danger and that is what they wanted to avoid in the first place. As much as she wanted, Glinda would not know.

"I'm sorry, Glin," Elphaba repeated, placing the hat back in the draw and pushing it close. She had to continue her search for the book.

And as she continued her search, the voice in the back of her head kept persisting that she should leave behind something, something only Glinda would understand. Think about how much Glinda was suffering! She thinks and believes her best friend is dead, killed by that wretched little farm girl, that dog and her three companions. She believes that she melted away due to the bucket of water – how ridiculous! Leave a sign! Make her understand!

'No!' the rational part of her mind shouted back, ending the debate once and for all. It was not worth it! Leaving a sign might make Glinda realize the origin of the child. Knowing the origin would also put the child in grave danger. Could you imagine? The daughter of the Wicked Witch of the West – Elphaba shivered at the thought of the witch hunts. Neither the child nor Glinda could know for their own sake.

There, it was settled.

Both Glinda and the child would go on to believe the child was simply of Winkie origin. The baby already had patches of diamonds on her forearms – they did not exactly have a pattern like Fiyero's who guessed that perhaps it was due to the fact that the child was only half Winkie. The child definitely did not have as many diamonds as Fiyero had in his pre-scarecrow days, but Fiyero also guessed that the pattern would form over time, maybe more would appear as well. He did not know and Elphaba was even more clueless than he, but it did not matter. Elphaba had found them beautiful on Fiyero and they were equally beautiful on the child.

Maybe Elphaba was a little biased, but she knew the child would grow up to be beautiful – with Fiyero's skin tone and the diamonds along with her dark eyes and hair (at least they made Nessa tragically beautiful)… That is how she imagined the child – a slightly darker Nessarose who was simply beautiful, no tragic needed.

Yes, Elphaba had done a terrible job at not bonding with the child.

How many draws did Glinda need for the love of Oz! Where was the damn Grimmerie?

Maybe it was not in the room, but then where would Glinda put it? There was still hope, Elphaba still had no been near the walk in closet. This child would never wear the same outfit twice, Elphaba was sure of that much. Poor thing, but she could not help but smile at the idea. The child would be extremely fashionable and a master of tossing her hair. Great.

Alright, the Grimmerie was nowhere to be found in the bedroom itself. Elphaba had no choice but to brace herself for the closet where she faced an uncountable amount of various colorful dresses and shoes. The scary part – the closet was half the size of the actual private chamber and it was entirely full, ready to burst. Did one person really need this much clothing?

Well, maybe if you were Glinda – but even then just maybe.

"Hmm…?"

Something caught her eye. In the corner of the closet, practically hidden by dresses that appeared not to have been worn in a while was yet another dresser. That was it, Glinda clearly had a problem – an addiction if you will.

Giving herself a moment more to think, it finally did dawn on her. That dresser was not the same as the others, it was older and definitely out of place in this closet. It was also pretty hidden – you almost had to be looking for the piece of furniture.

It had to be in there. It was Elphaba's only and last hope. She really had nowhere else to check, there was no other hiding spot to turn over unless the book was tucked away in between dresses. No, it had to be there. It just had to be there.

Elphaba quickly crossed the closet, nearly tripping over a random pair of heels that were scattered on the floor. Glinda's habits definitely had not changed since their Shiz days – if Elphaba did not constantly tidy the room, they would have been lost in a sea of Glinda's personal belongings long ago. That did not exactly matter at the moment, no. Elphaba pushed the dresses aside, fully exposing the old dresser to the light of the closet when Elphaba momentarily had a panic attack – if this thing had a lock… No, it did not, she would not have to track down a key. Good.

Pulling the draws out proved to be a little difficult. The top was nearly stuck, but became free after a good yank. It was also empty – two more to go. The second was stuck also, but it was packed to the brink. It too finally came out after a couple good pulls and the problem had been caused by moth eaten blankets. Why did Glinda have moth eaten blankets to begin with? That did not seem like her. Elphaba was on to something.

Heart pounding furiously against her chest, Elphaba took the old blankets out. Removing a couple revealed two small green bottles. Her eyebrows furrowed, she was well aware of the existence of one of these bottles – it had been a keep sake, a reminder of her mother. Carefully, afraid they would break at her touch, Elphaba picked them up and examined them closely.

They were completely identical, every single detail was the same, but why were there two? Did Glinda have the other specially made to serve as her own keep sake? But why? The hat was more personal to them, right? And frankly, Glinda had teased her about this bottle when they were both university students. Well, she teased her with the hat also, but that was an entire different story.

As much as she wanted to continue pondering the existence of the second bottle, Elphaba knew she could not. She carefully placed both of them on top of the blankets she had already taken out and rested on the dresser. Pulling back another blanket, Elphaba's heart skipped a beat.

There it was.

The Grimmerie.

With shaky hands, Elphaba picked up the book and immediately opened it. She instantly began flipping through pages. She was not exactly sure what she was looking for, anything that would be useful and she had to be careful. Spells were not reversible – a lesson she had learned first hand

Those poor monkeys.

Boq.

Fiyero.

The first two were truly tragic events. The monkeys, she meant them no harm, she had been tricked, and Boq… She had been trying to help him, trying to fix what Nessa had done, but he was lead to believe that Elphaba was behind it all – her and her wickedness. The last case… her precious Fiyero… it had been the only good deed to come from using the book. It saved his life. She saved his life. Elphaba had always been one to believe that looks simply did not matter, she was just glad that she was alive and still with her. If he had not survived, she was not sure where she would be.

Elphaba stopped flipping when a certain spell caught her eye. She glanced it over and reread it. This would do and would not cause harm to the guard outside, but it would give her an opportunity to sneak out of the room – and the palace in general. She reread the spell multiple times, committing it to memory, after all, she could not take the book with her. Once she was able to recite it from memory, she attempted to put everything back the way it was before, they way she found it.

Walking out of the closet, Elphaba closed and leaned up against the door. Her eyes had settled on the quiet sleeping bundle on the bed. She had mentally prepared herself for this moment, but truth be told, one really could not prepare themselves for this.

"For her own good," Elphaba reminded herself as she walked over to the bed. She picked up and pulled on the gloves, hiding her green hands and wrists. She even tugged down on her sleeve to make sure not an inch of green was showing, she could not be spotted. No one could know she was here at all.

She tried not to glance over at the sleeping child, but a part of her wanted that final glance, a mental imagine she would hold dear for the rest of time.

_"It well may be that we'll never meet again in this life time…"_

Elphaba was attempting to convince herself that she did deserve that last glance while the voice in the back of her mind was reassuring that she truly did not. Laying before her was a nameless child that she barely held at all, but that was all for her own good! Wasn't it…? Why would she allow the child to bond and fall in love when her birth parents had already decided to abandon her months before she actually arrived into the world?

No, they were not abandoning her!

They were giving the child a life they were not able to provide. This way the girl would grow up with no connection to the Wicked Witch of the West. She would not be discriminated against due to her heritage, she would grow up fearing the Witch like all other Ozians – and she would be like all other Ozians. Glinda promised she would not under any circumstance clear Elphaba's name.

BAM!

"Oh sweet Oz!" Elphaba hissed, nearly jumping out of her skin. Her heart was beating rapidly against her chest – did the guard drop his weapon in the hallway? Whatever the case, Elphaba needed to get out of here.

"Little one," she said softly, turning to the slumbering child. In the end, Elphaba did dserve it – she had the child's best interest at heart. Her eyes began to sting as she expected them to. She leaned over and placed a kiss on the girl's forehead. "Make me proud, make Oz a better place…"

Not wanting to prolong the moment any more, Elphaba quickly walked over to the door, pulling her hood up and over her head. She sighed heavily and grasped the knob. It was now or never.

She cracked the door open slightly, catching the guard's attention. "Direct orders form Glinda," Elphaba stated. "No one is to enter her private chamber for the rest of day."

"What? Who-"

Elphaba had immediately started chanting and soon enough, the guard had collapsed on to the floor. He would be out for a while and hopefully when he woke, he would go straight to Glinda to report the happenings. She pulled the door open to confirm that the guard had passed out; he had fallen into a deep slumber. He would awaken hours from now feeling well rested – there should not be any negative consequences to the spell.

And if there were, did it matter?

_"Let all of Oz be agreed, I'm wicked through and through…"_

The Ozians had no trouble embracing her wickedness, why shouldn't she? After all, they were out, or would be out, in full force today celebrating it.

_"I swear someday there'll be, a celebration throughout Oz that's all to do with me!"_

A celebration indeed, Elphaba thought, slipping through and closing the door. It definitely was not the one she had hoped for, needless to say, but she did technically get what she wished for. Ozians are celebrating today because of her and her downfall. Allow them to – Elphaba did not care about what they thought about her, not as long the people she cared about were safe.

Moving quickly down the hall and to the stair case, Elphaba's eyes were darting back and forth, attentive, positive that there would be more guards on duty. If anything, they would be posted at the entrance – may be security would be more lax inside. Obviously, finding the guard right outside Glinda's chamber would be enough to prove that theory wrong, but Glinda was a public figure – her private chamber would be guarded, but the rest of the place? She assumed guards would have to be present at all the ceremonies today, especially where Glinda would be making public appearances. Therefore, less guards here.

Whatever the case, Elphaba should be prepared for the worst situation. She glided down the stairs, no other soul in sight. So far, so good. Now she would just had another million hallways and staircases to navigate her way through – this place was a maze, even more so when she was trying to sneak out through the backdoor. Ultimately, Elphaba wanted to be sneaking her way through a hidden passage leading her to the outskirts the palace's grounds, just outside the walls. It was an escape route they learned that the Wizard himself planned – just in case. Of course he did. If the people of Oz had not believed in him, then he would have needed a way out, right?

Damn sneaky bastard.

Why would Glinda stay in such a place?

It took her a little bit longer than expected to reach the entrance to the hidden passage, mostly due to sneaking past guards. She did not want to bewitch any if it was not needed; the only one she had to was the guard standing watch at the entrance she needed.

Elphaba, with a little difficulty since it was a little stuck from disuse, pulled the heavy door open and closed it behind her, finding herself in a narrow hall where the walls were emitting an emerald glow. The child had been cooing loudly in this hall, she had truly enjoyed it. It definitely seemed emptier now without the cooing.

She took the hall in a slow run, wanting to move quickly, but also remain incredibly silent as well. This hall echoed just as much as the ones inside, more even and if there was a guard on the outside, she did not want to give him an advantage of any kind. She even slowed down some when she knew she was close and walked up the small amount of steps, bracing herself and ready to chant, but no guard emerged.

In fact, the guard was already knocked out at the foot of the exit. Elphaba's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she stared down at the fallen guard.

"Fae!" someone hissed.

Elphaba's attention immediately jerked up at the voice belonging to her beloved scarecrow – was he holding a wooden stake? "Yero?" she replied, putting the details together. "Fiyero! Tell me you didn't!" she hissed back, glancing back down at the guard.

"Alright, I won't," Fiyero answered simply, tossing his makeshit weapon on the ground. "He thought I was a scarecrow – a real one, he didn't see that coming."

"You really are brainless, you know that, right?"

"Who is going to believe that he was attacked by a scarecrow?" Fiyero shot back.

"If Glinda finds out-" Elphaba began.

"If Glinda finds out, she won't figure out it was us," Fiyero pointed out. "She doesn't know I'm a scarecrow, Fae. She believes I'm dead, we're dead."

That last statement lingered in the air for a moment.

Then Fiyero continued. "The only thing she'd conclude is that the scarecrow who helped Dorothy snuck into the palace."

A dark look passed over Elphaba's face and Fiyero knew why – he mentioned the wretched little farm girl's name which was recalling Nessa and her tragic death for certain.

"And then that wouldn't even matter," he went on. "They'll be able to find Biq-"

"Boq," Elphaba automatically corrected.

"Boq," Fiyero repeated. "They can find him and Brr, but they don't know anything. They may trace her to me, the Scarecrow, but not to Fiyero. So they won't be able to trace her to you-"

"To the Wicked Witch-"

"Don't call yourself that, Fae."

"If she's traced to Elphaba Thropp, then only Glinda would know, if she's related to the Witch, she's in danger," Elphaba pointed out. "All of Oz would hunt her down because of me."

Fiyero sighed heavily, knowing that there was nothing he could do to get her to change her mind. Elphaba was always stubbornly set in her ways, but it did not hurt to try. "If the circumstances were different, if she knew her cultural background, she would've been very proud to call you her mother, Fae, especially for what you've tried to do to better Oz," he reassured, reaching out to lower her hood which she quickly pulled back up.

"Are you crazy?" she automatically snapped. "If I'm spotted then this would be all for nothing!"

"Fae, trust me – you're head-to-toe cladded in black, it already looks odd," Fiyero snapped back. The tension between them had been high the last few days leading up to this plan.

"Yero, we need to get out of here," Elphaba said, clearly annoyed. "Oz knows how long we've put it off already."

"Are you ready?" he asked, holding out his hand. "We can never come back to Oz."

Elphaba, who was looking down at his hand, really did not need that reminder. Her eyes trailed away as she glanced over her shoulder toward the exit she had come through. Her gaze lingered there for a moment before returning to Fiyero. Finally, she reached out and took his hand. They had no idea where they were going, but they would be together and the little one would be safe regardless. Their eyes met and they both nodded. Elphaba lowered her head and closed her eyes as she began to concentrate and focus.

Although her eyes were indeed closed, Elphaba was still blinded by an extremely bright light causing her to shut them even tighter. It did not end there, the next moment it felt as if someone had set her entire body on fire. She bit down on her lip, trying to suppress a scream. She knew Fiyero was experiencing the same thing because she heard him yelp in front of her. Before she could give his hand a small squeeze to remind him that she was still here, a force separated them and Elphaba gasped.

Instantly, her eyes snapped open and she tumbled forward. The bright light had disappeared, so had Oz and Elphaba now found herself in a forest wilderness she was not familiar with.

Wait a tik-toc…

Where was…?

"Fiyero?" Elphaba called out, a little frantic. "Fiyero, where are you!"

"Fae?" she heard the bush in front of her mumble. For a split moment, she was convinced he had been turned into the plant somehow until he stumbled his way out. Immediately, she covered her mouth with her hands – she could not believe what she was seeing.

There was no straw. No stuffing – there were no diamonds either, but Fiyero was standing before her, the Fiyero before she had casted that spell that saved his life. "Yero…"

"Oh, Elphaba…"

Fiyero was looking back at her with a matched expression of disbelief on his face. He took the few steps that separated the two of them and took her gloved hands into his own.

"I can't believe it either, Yero – you're not a scarecrow anymore."

He did not respond. Yes, he was surprised as well, but for a whole other matter. He ignored her statement and looked down at their hands. He pulled off one of her gloves and held up her hand.

Her non-green hand.

Elphaba's eyes widened. No, this was not her – yes, she double checked. It was her hand. Shaking uncontrollably, she removed her other glove. No green.

She had been degreenified…

**xxxxxx**

The sun had gone down and evening had already approached throughout Oz. The palace had spent the day mostly in silence and the child mostly asleep. It was not until the fireworks had gone off that the child was rudely awaken. In fright, she began to whine and cry.

The young child was not the only one to wake. The guard outside had jolted from his sleep. He quickly took his post again, embarrassed that he had fallen asleep on duty. Just how long had he been asleep for?

When the fireworks died down, he was able to hear the strange noises coming from within Lady GLinda's private chamber. Someone, something was inside! The guard was about to burst into the room when he recalled the orders he had been given – no one was to enter the room.

Something was not right.

He had to find Lady Glinda.

There had been a breach in security

_**To be continued**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** The Returnance

**Author:** AoN

**Word Count:** 5,000

**Genre:** Drama, Adventure

**Rating:** PG-13

**Feedback:** Please and thank you! Let me know what I'm doing right or doing wrong.

**Summary:** After many celebrations of the Wicked Witch's death, a new evil appears in the wonderful land of Oz, forcing Glinda the Good to confront the decisions she had made in the past and to accept a truth she cannot fully grasp.

**Chapter Three**

"Lady Glinda," Evella hissed as they walked down the hall at a quick pace. "Lady Glinda, this is not a good idea!"

"Oh, I'm not arguing with you there," Glinda agreed, hoisting up her dress slightly to prevent herself from tripping. Some of these dresses she had to wear… they were mostly for show, not exactly for comfort. "But I do believe I have the right to be told what is going on around here, especially if I'm personally affected by the matter."

"Without a doubt, Lady Glinda," Evella agreed as well. "But what if even Captain Tandy didn't know everything himself? Please, summon the bubble and let's go to safety!"

Glinda immediately stopped in her tracks. They were going to be heard if this kept up and that would not do since she, at least, was trying to sneak into her own personal chamber. "Miss Evella, I understand you are simply trying to do your job and watch over me," she began in a hushed tone. "But please consider the fact that we are agemates. You are pretty capable of taking care for yourself. I may be a public figure for all of Oz, but that does not hinder my own capability."

"Of course not," Evella answered. "Please don't take offense, I have nothing but respect for you, Lady Glinda, and I don't doubt any of your abilities, but Oz needs you – these are troubled times."

"Besides flying around Oz and telling everyone that everything will be alright, there is not a whole lot I can do for Ozians,"Glinda replied, well aware that Evella was a little taken back by the response. "I'm a public figure, yes, but I can only be encouraging. What Oz needs is a leader – public figures will come and go and they will all reassure that everything is fine and dandy, but only a leader can lead."

A tense silence fell between them. Evella only began to speak after a moment to collect her thoughts. "But public figures have been leaders – the Wizard himself-"

"I am nothing like the Wizard," Glinda interrupted. She knew Evella had meant it as a compliment; however it was anything but to Glinda who knew the truth about the 'wonderful' Wizard of Oz. She could not allow her true emotion to show. "I don't know the first thing about leading anyone. I may have my own political beliefs, but that's about it. Any Shiz graduate of Law could do a better job than I – oh, let's not talk about this now! We're pressed for time!" She turned on her heel and began down the hall once more. Now was not the time for politics or the current state of Oz – at least concerning her as the rightful ruler (what a ridiculous idea).

Without another word, probably not wanting to accidentally offend Glinda, Evella followed after her. As they continued down the hall, getting closer and closer to the chamber door and as they did, they began to hear what they assumed had bothered the guard. It was a terrible whining which echoed softly. It caused the two of them to halt at the door. Glinda glanced over to Evella, eyebrows furrowed.

"What is that – a cat?" Glinda murmured, hand wrapped around the knob of the door.

"Not exactly-"

Before Evella could say anymore, Glinda had pushed the door open. The muffled whining became clearer, confirming Evella's suspicion, but her confused had only increased.

Stepping inside the room, Glinda's bright eyes widened in shock – this was not what she had been expecting. Her eyes instantly fell on the maker of the noise which definitely was no cat. Her blanket propped up a bundle of cloth on her bed, a bundle which was squirming and now crying.

Crying.

Her steps were small and slow as she walked up to the edge of the bed. As Glinda drew closer, the whining died down. It was not until blue eyes met brown did the crying come to a complete stop. Those eyes… they seemed so familiar and the baby was looking up at her with the same sense of familiarity.

"Where did it come from…?"

Glinda jumped slightly. She had forgotten that Evella was with her. She glanced over to hear and back to the now silent baby. "I-I don't… know…" she murmured, looking around the room. Not only had the blanket been moved, but her windows had been closed – she never closed them. No, the baby had not been summoned in. Someone had been in here.

Evella joined Glinda at the bedside. "Such a little thing – taken a liking to you, Lady Glinda. Stopped crying."

"I'm sure it would have stopped seeing you too," Glinda replied. "Probably spooked by the fireworks – Miss Evella, would you please check on the guards?"

"At once," Evella replied. She did not need to be told twice.

Glinda waited until she heard the click of the door closing before springing into action. Yes, there was a mystery child in her room which was concerning and evidence in itself that someone had been in here. There were two things she had to check on in the little time she had to herself. Immediately, she pulled out the draw where she hid the hat this morning. She panicked seeing it on top of the clothing she had hidden it under. This was not good. Not good.

After pushing the draw to a close, Glinda was instantly inside the walk in closet. The dresses in the corner hiding that ugly dresser were skewed. Her stomach tied itself into tight knots. Not only had someone entered her private chamber, they knew what they were looking for – the Grimmerie was gone, she knew it.

Embracing herself for the worst, shaky hands pulled out the draw and hurriedly removed the glass bottles along with the blankets.

"Oh sweet Oz!" she breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

The book was still here.

She was relieved, yes, but she still had a million questions running through her mind. Questions that would have to wait – the baby had started crying once again, which also summoned even more questions.

Clearly coming back to a peaceful evening had been too complicated of a request. After a day full of pretending to celebrate along everyone else, Glinda wanted nothing more than to relax. Instead, she was now in the middle of whatever it is this was – someone had left a child in her chamber. Someone had gone through her belongings, but why?

Glinda found herself back at the bed, but this time the child did not stop crying at her presence. It only continued to fuss – how long had it been in here alone? Was it hungry? Did it need a changing? Oh, she was no good at this sort of thing! Evella would know, she was a mother after all.

"Oh, come on now…" Glinda said softly, hovering over the baby. "Please don't cry, little one…"

Still pouting, the baby looked up at being addressed as 'little one.' It had been the only term of endearment the child was familiar with.

"Miss Evella will be right back, she'll know what to do with you," Glinda reassured. Did it really matter talking to the child? Would it even understand?

The baby began to fuss some more and whine. Why was it crying? How do you get babies to stop crying? Should she pick the child up? Would that help? What if she dropped it? That definitely would not be good nor helpful.

"Please, please, please don't cry!" Glinda begged, but her plea fell on deaf ears. It did not get the baby to stop – what if picking the child up could help? She should at least try, right?

A little weary of herself, Glinda leaned forward slightly over the bed. She really had no idea what she was doing; the only thing she knew was she had to support the baby's head, which she did when she initially picked up the child. Glinda brought the baby close to her chest and cradled it gently in her arms. The baby had stopped crying and Glinda felt her own heart flutter slightly as the baby smiled toothlessly up at her. The child had freed one of its arms and was now reaching for the woman.

Glinda carefully took a seat on the edge of the bed before holding out a finger to the child. Her breathe hitched a little when the baby took a hold. The baby giggled and the two locked eyes again. How could anything be so small and delicate, yet still manage to capture her heart? Why was she so emotionally attached to a being she had known for ten minutes? Was it the idea that this child was unbiased and did not see her as Glinda the Good?

As she pondered this, something on the child's upper arm caught her eye. Were those… diamonds on her skin? Was this a Winkie child? The Winkie was far west from the Emerald City – this child was a long way from home. This only added to the mystery that surrounded the child.

"If only you could share your story with me, little one," Glinda murmured softly, a hint of pain in her voice. She had been… friends with someone from the Winkie country, but she tried not to think about him – he brought back a slew of powerful emotions. A one-sided love. Betrayal. Lost. She did not think about him for the same reason she did not think of the Witch.

It pained her so much…

"Were you abandoned here?" Glinda asked quietly. "Did someone betray you for another?"

Do you have anyone else in this lonely world?

Glinda was rendered speechless as she gazed down at the child. Perhaps this was why she was already attached. Maybe the child really did have no one else, like herself. At least Glinda was able to fend for herself, but… this child…

_'Whenever I see someone less fortunate than I, my tender heart tends to start to bleed…'_

"Lady Glinda."

Having been distracted, Glinda did not realize that Evella had returned with an annoyed looking Captain Tandy. Still cradling the child, Glinda stood up. "Have you spoken to your men, Captain?" she quickly asked, not giving him a chance to scold her for not listening to his original orders.

"Briefly before Miss Evella came to 'check up' on us," the Captain answered. "Lady Glinda, what is the meaning-"

"Did any of them report suspicious activity, Captain?"

"Suspicious activity?"

"If you can see," Evella began. "Lady Glinda is holding a child, a child we have discovered in this room." She walked over to and took the baby from Glinda's arms, who wanted to protest, but in the end, she did not. "Poor thing, I'm going to give this little one a bath," Evella announced, dismissing herself to the chamber's private bathroom.

Glinda frowned as Evella left, wanting to stop her, wanting to be with the child still. She kept her composure. "Captain Tandy, I need to know of anything strange that happened today and I have a feeling you are not telling me everything which I find odd for a man who has sworn to protect me," she explained.

Captain Tandy suddenly became a little embarrassed which only quirked Glinda. So he was keeping something from her. "Lady Glinda, your privacy is extremely important to me and I understand that-"

"I don't want excuses, Captain," Glinda interrupted. "When did you get these orders from this unknown servant and why did you keep them?"

"This morning after you departed," Tandy quickly replied, not wanting to push her further. "I returned to my post after escorting you out and not too long after, the door opened – barely – and…" his voice trailed off.

"And?" Glinda repeated.

"This woman gave the order and then I heard some chanting," Tandy explained. "Lady Glinda, I'm sorry, I blacked out until you returned."

"You heard chanting and blacked out?" Glinda questioned, taken back. She was keeping in mind the Grimmerie, how it appeared to have been found. "Captain, what did this woman look like?"

Captain Tandy took a moment to think, but shook his head. "I didn't get a good look – I couldn't see her face, she was wearing a hood, head-to-toe in black. Allow me to speak to my men. One of them must have seen her," he answered.

Glinda nodded. "How soon can you report back to me?"

"Within the hour, Lady Glinda."

"I shall be waiting, Captain. You are dismissed."

Tandy saluted and exited the chamber, closing the door and leaving Glinda alone for the first time since this morning. Glinda collapsed onto her bed, her mind running. A woman dressed head-to-toe in black and chanting – chanting no doubt something from the Grimmerie. Glinda only knew of one person who could do either.

None of this was making any sense!

Her eyes were stinging and this time she did not stop herself from crying. Why today of all days?

This woman came into her room and left behind this Winkie child. A Winkie child. Glinda's mind was throwing together ridiculous theories, all of which she just had to ignore because she knew better, but she could not shake this woman out of her mind. It was plaguing her. The black, the chanting, the Grimmerie, everything.

Her now red eyes trailed over to the grand window she always kept open and, frankly, Glinda was annoyed that this woman, whoever she was, had closed them. She stood up quickly and crossed the room to reopen them. She drew the curtains back and gazed out towards the city, toward the horizon and the western sky. Although she would not admit it, she was scanning the night sky for any abnormalities even though her rationality was scolding her harshly for her actions – she was not going to spot anything. This was all wishful thinking that she could not be giving into.

They were both dead!

She witnessed the melting herself!

"Lady Glinda?"

She immediately became tensed and quickly wiped furiously at her eyes. "Yes, Miss Evella?" she replied, turning around to look at the other woman who was cradling the infant still.

"I know you've had a long day, perhaps you should get some rest?"

"Thank you for your concern, but Captain Tandy will report back here within the hour," Glinda replied, eyes never leaving the baby. "It finally stopped crying – you have that motherly touch…"

Evella smiled slightly. "She," she corrected. "The little one is a girl."

"A girl," Glinda repeated, hovering away from the window.

"Yes, and anyone would be upset if they had soiled themselves," Evella commented, rocking the baby in her arms. "I used one of the cloths in your bathroom, I'll fetch another from the maids station."

"That's quiet alright – don't worry about it," Glinda reassured, standing in front of the dark haired woman. "She's so… small…"

"Wouldn't put her past three months," Evella murmured as they both watched the child drift back to sleep. "Part Winkie."

"Part?" Glinda questioned, looking up at Evella. "How can you tell she isn't a full blooded Winkie child?"

"She only has markings on her arms, like Kiki," Evella explained. "Winkie children are covered with them usually."

"Your Kiki is part Winkie?"

Glinda saw Evella hesitate for a moment as if she did not know what to say. She was flustered. What was with the sudden embarrassment? First Captain Tandy and now Evella. This day was only getting stranger and stranger. "Lady Glinda, please don't think lowly of me," Evella began. "And I've already told you, I am in no way a radical, but… my parents were and they were proud of it. When the witch hunts began… we had to go into hiding – my parents, myself and my sister."

"So you all fled to the Winkie country," Glinda was able to conclude. She did not mean to stare at the other woman, but she could not help it.

To avoid her eyes momentarily, Evella walked around Glinda and to the bed where she carefully placed the sleeping baby. "Yes," she confirmed. "The witch hunts weren't as terrible, and we were a little safer. I… became a little friendly with a local boy and, well…" she trailed off, feeling her cheeks turning red. She could not believe she was telling Lady Glinda, of all people, this.

"Right," Glinda quickly said. "But you returned…?"

"My sister and I are not radicals, we came here to the Emerald City after the melting," Evella answered, still a little flushed. "And it's been the three of us since. Our parents remained in the Winkie country. Oh, Lady GLinda no one must know! Please, don't turn us over to the Gale Force!"

"Oh Miss Evella, I would never!" Glinda promised, instantly at the woman's side.

"It's not exactly the story you wish to hear on today of all days! Radicals fleeing-"

"You've said it yourself, Miss Evella," Glinda interrupted. "You are not one of them. We should not be judged based on our parents' actions. We all are in control of our own doings."

"With wisdom like that, Lady Glinda, you are clearly suitable to rule Oz," Evella commented.

Glinda shook her head and walked over to her vanity which she took a seat in front of. Evella followed her and took a seat on the nearby armchair. "And as I've told you, I am not a fit leader," Glinda responded. "I've been holding Oz together for the last year, but I haven't been able to push it forward which is exactly what it really needs at the moment.

"But if wizardship was too demanding for the Wizard, who else but you can lead the Ozians? You've studied sorcery after all!"Evella pointed out.

"It takes more than magic tricks to lead," Glinda retorted, ignoring the fact that the Wizard could not cast a spell to save his own life. And Glinda did not exactly graduate at the top of her class either. "And as I've said before, I am good at being encouraging, good at telling people what they want to hear, but sometimes leading requires telling them what they don't wish to hear – I've tried and I can't."

Evella watched as Glinda picked up a hairbrush from the vanity and began to comb through her blonde hair. She did remember Glinda trying to rid some of the Wizard's polices, but it had not been successful. The public did get a little rowdy, but that all blew over when she aided the Munchkin's get their rights back.

"And don't bring up Munchkinland," Glinda quickly added as if she could read the woman's mind. She winced slightly when she came across a tangle. "The Tinman did most of the work, I advocated from afar – why he took Munchkin rights to heart is beyond me…"

"Then who do you think is fit to rule Oz?"

"That's not for me to decide," Glinda answered honestly. "We have ambassadors and governors throughout Oz who are more than capable and they have surely expressed themselves. I'll make the announcement myself soon. Oz knows I need a break from the publicity and the little one is going to need someone."

Evella's eyebrows furrowed. "The little one?" she repeated, glancing over to the bed. "You're talking about the child?"

Glinda set the brush down before shifting in her seat to face Evella. "Yes," she replied simply. She surely did not have to explain herself and she had to be careful of what she would say. As much as she wanted to trust Evella, Glinda knew she still had to be careful – better safe than sorry. "Well, at least until we can find out and return her home," she added. "Can you imagine her story, what she's been through? If I can make it easier, even for a little while, then I will. The child deserves that, right?"

"Such a kind heart, Lady Glinda!" Evella gushed.

"It has nothing to do with heart, it's the right thing to do for the child," Glinda replied mostly. "Miss Evella, shouldn't you be with your little Kiki?" she asked gently. "Surely he misses his mother, especially during a time of celebration. One should be with family today or what's left of it, anyway."

"Are you sure, Lady Glinda?"

Glinda rose to her feet and stood in front of her, taking her hand into her own. "Miss Evella, you have shown me how important you consider your job to be, but please… Never put it before your family."

A smile tugged on Evella's face, one that Glinda matched, as she pulled herself up. "Let me fetch those-"

"I'll be fine without them," Glinda reassured.

"If not for yourself, but for the baby," Evella pointed out. "And a bottle, then I'll be off."

Glinda nodded. The child's need had slipped her mind entirely. Maybe she was not set for this – then again, hwo long has it been since she had to think about someone else? Surely it took some time to get use to again. Yes, of course, she agreed before Evella dismissed herself, leaving Glinda alone in the chamber with the sleeping child.

Oh how she was ready for this day to be truly over. Once Evella and Captain Tandy came back, then she would finally be free – not exactly alone, not with the child, but she would be able to drop her defensive wall which had been crumbling since this morning and it was deteriorating even quicker now with everything that was occurring this evening.

She moved back over to the bed and sat down once again near the child, finally slipping out of the heels she had been wearing all day. Needless to say, her feet ached and she really should have taken them off earlier, but she got caught up in the heat of things.

Glinda found herself staring at the child, found herself trying to find something that could not possibly be there. She had to stop herself from desperately searching. Nothing was there. Nothing. She was not going to find anything. She had to stop.

Is this how it would be? She would not be able to handle it, it would drive her to insanity and then beyond. She could not allow this to consume her; she could not come up with any ridiculous theories which she truly wanted to be true.

No, this had to get easier with time. After all, time heals all wounds – or however that saying went. She truly had to believe that otherwise the future would be incredibly bleek and that was no way to live life.

She leaned back against the mounds of pillows at the head of her bed, momentarily losing herself in her own thoughts. The blue eyes started into space dully. Fatigue and exhaustion mixed with sadness shown through, emotions which have been extremely commont o her over the last year unfortunately. Maybe now she could relax, especially after her political step down. Would she be able to go back to Gillikin or did she have to stay here in the Emerald City? It would be nice to go home even for a short while – there was no place like it, after all – and maybe the little one would-

"You need a name," Glinda said aloud, looking over to the bundle from where she laid. They could not keep referring to the girl as 'little one.' Well, she could, but everyone needed a name. "Do you have one?" she asked, propping herself up with her elbow.

No, she was not expecting an answer. The child was sleeping for one and, well, she was also way too young to answer anyway. Glinda tilted her head slightly, watching the child sleep with ease, completely unaware of the situation she was in – tragic really.

Tragic. Tragically beautiful child.

Glinda leaned forward, closer to the silent baby.

"Nissa…?" she said quietly. "Can I call you that, little one? Can I call you Nissa?" It was as if she were asking permission, for acceptance.

"Lovely name…"

She nearly jumped out of her skin – Evella had not made a sound upon entering. That and Glinda had not expected her to be so quick, but there she was with a small pile of cloths and a full bottle. How she was able to find a bottle that quickly, Glinda did not know – she was not what you call familiar with the palace's kitchen. She had a tendency to stay in her private chamber when she was not needed elsewhere.

"Do you really think so?" Glinda quickly sat up, doing her best to not disturb the dreaming little one.

"Yes, but isn't the name traditionally pronounced 'Nessa'?" Evella asked, setting the items down on the dresser closest to the door.

Hearing even that name hurt, but Glinda nodded. "Traditionally, it's also pronounced 'Galinda.' I'm not entirely one for tradition," she grinned. "Thank you for your help, Miss Evella. I trust to see you tomorrow, am I correct?"

"Yes, Lady Glinda," Evella answered. "I'll see you in the morning – and the little Nissa. I thought you should know, Captain Tandy is on his way."

"Is he now?" Glinda was on her feet. "Thank you, Miss Evella, again. I bid you good night."

"Good night, Lady Glinda."

Once Evella had dismissed herself and the door closed, Glinda had begun pacing around the room as she waited in anticipation. She could always expect the good captain to be either early or on time, which at the moment she was extremely glad for.

The few moments Glinda waited dragged on, but the knock finally came and perhaps Glinda said 'enter' too quickly, but oh well. The door opened and the expected Captain stepped inside.

"Lady Glinda," he greeted with a nod.

"Captain Tandy," she replied. "What did your men have to say?"

"There was another who blacked out within the palace – at the entrance to the tunnel," Captain Tandy informed.

"A-and…?" she asked with baited breathe.

He shook his head. "The guard in question did not see nor hear anything. One moment he was at his post, the next he was picking himself off the floor," Captain Tandy answered. "At the end of the tunnel stood another guard on duty-"

"Blacked out also," Glinda concluded.

"Yes, eventually, but he was attacked-"

"Attacked by the woman?"

"No," Captain Tandy replied. "Well, we can't be certain – he claims to have been attacked by a scarecrow."

"A scarecrow?" Glinda repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, yes," the captain confirmed. "He was in and out of conscience and overhead a male voice 'he thought I was a scarecrow,' so the force is assuming either a bewitched scarecrow or a disguise. Regardless, we can confirm two intruders and they might be in the palace still or nearby. We don't' have any evidence that they left."

"And we have to assume they're dangerous," Glinda could not help but agree with the captain. "Miss Evella just left-"

"She is being escorted home," Captain Tandy reassured, picking up on Glinda's worry. "There will be extra security tonight for your own safety. Perhaps you should consider closing the window this evening, Lady Glinda, until we can deem the palace safe again."

It was a suggestion Glinda would have shot down in a moment and Captain Tandy was probably waiting for that response, but Glinda actually hesitated. She looked towards the window and the curtains which were blowing gently with the light breeze. Would it be too chilly with it open for little Nissa? She did not know the answer, but she was not about to chance it either. It was odd – thinking of someone else, taking someone else into consideration.

"I'll close them at once," she answered which took him by surprise. He did not remember a time where she willingly agreed to close those damn windows. She must have really frightened by this situation.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Lady Glinda."

"Will there be any extra precautions for the areas directly affected by these intruders?" she asked.

The Captain nodded again. "There will be two guards outside here and two other patrolling the nearby hallways," he explained. "We will do the same for the tunnel. The palace is under lock down until morning. Guards are thoroughly searching inside and the grounds. Expanding the search any further would only raise suspicion. Not to mention, with all the festivities still going on, the streets of the city are still crowded. WE wouldn't be able to find them with the little amount of description that we currently have."

"Captain Tandy, I don't know how to express my gratitude for all that you and your men are doing."

"We are only doing our jobs, Lady Glinda," he replied. "It is our duty to protect you and we will do whatever it takes to make you feel safe, especially in a situation as troubling as this."

"Once again, thank you, Captain."

"Shall I inform you once the search has been completed?" he asked.

Glinda took a moment to consider the offer – another intrusion tonight? "If something comes up, if you find something, then please alert me at once," she answered. "Anything else can wait until morning. It's been a long day, even more so now."

Captain Tandy nodded and bowed slightly. He wished her a good night and was soon out the door which Glinda followed him to in order to lock it behind him. She sighed heavily before crossing the room to close the window as well.

Finally, some peace – if this is what one would call peace.

A year ago today, Glinda's life had drastically changed and in the course of one day, it had again. Little did she know that both events were caused by the same person.

_**To be continued**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** The Returnance

**Author: **AoN

**Word Count: **5,400

**Genre:** Drama, Adventure

**Rating:** PG-13

**Feedback:** Please and thank you! Let me know what I'm doing right or doing wrong.

**Summary:** After many celebrations of the Wicked Witch's death, a new evil appears in the wonderful land of Oz, forcing Glinda the Good to confront the decisions she had made in the past and to accept a truth she cannot fully grasp.

**Chapter Four**

The following morning, Glinda the Good had addressed the crowd of Ozians once again who could not be happier to hear from their beloved Glinda so soon after their grand celebration. What she had to say, however, did shock them. Who better to replace their wonderful Wizard than their own Glinda the Good after all? All their begging and pleading had not changed her already made up mind. Oz was in need of a true ruler, one decided upon by all Ozians.

So Glinda the Good challenged Oz's finest ambassadors and governors, anyone really, to step forward, to help push Oz in the right direction for the sake of goodness.

She had to reassure all the people that she would not be going anywhere; Glinda the Good would still be in or, at the very least, near the Emerald City. She would still be here for her fellow Ozians which returned some cheer to the crowd. She would be helping Oz from the sidelines; so to speak, she had to focus on her own persona life, away from the public's watchful eye. What she did not tell them was that she needed her time to heal, to overcome the fact that she had played a hand in her only friend's killing. Glinda was never given the chance to mourn and she wanted that, she also wanted to do right by her friend and keep the promise she made, but that would have to wait for now.

That speech and revelation took place a year ago and Glinda was well aware of how much could change in a year. In the first few months, Glinda was rebalancing her life – juggling around the personas of Glinda the Good with Glinda the caretaker of little Nissa. Captain Tandy's search came up empty the night Nissa showed up. From that point on, with the help of Evella, Glinda paid extra attention to anything coming from the Winkie country and during that time, neither of them heard anything about a missing Winkie child and Glinda had grown extremely attached to the child.

Glinda just did not know how attached until she paid a visit to her dearest and darlingest Momsie and Popsical in the Upper Uplands of Gillikin, taking little Nissa with her. They, being a little old fashioned, questioned what their only daughter was doing with this mystery child, what were her plans exactly? Their questions made her think – they were not Evella, she could not brush the questions aside. Momsie and Popsical had her best intention at heart, something Glinda realized she had for little Nissa over the short time they had known each other. It was only right for Glinda to officially adopt the child and have the process done in the Upper Uplands.

Glinda had gone from caretaker to mother.

She, a mother.

It was a difficult concept for her to grasp and the media had a field day upon their return to the Emerald City for the first time as mother and daughter. The Ozians wanted to know more about little Nissa. The only story Glinda shared was the adoption that took place in the Uplands. She made no reference to the Winkie country, something she would be glad about years in the future. The Ozians loved it, proclaiming just how good their beloved Glinda was, taking in this tragic, abandoned child. It was a breath of fresh air for the gossipers, something nearly completely unrelated to the politics Oz was currently experiencing.

Nearly unrelated.

There were some who believed that it was merely a publicity stunt, her way of truly winning over the citizens of Oz to ensure her a lead in the political races. These arguments were clearly flawed and Glinda found them ridiculous to say the least.

Once these stories started flying about, Glinda decided that perhaps it was time to consider a change of scenery – nothing to drastic; she still had to be near the Emerald City, she still had business to attend to there, but she wanted to escape the palace and the constant bustle of the city. It was rather ironic – during her Shiz days, she would have given anything to have a life in the Emerald City, but now she desperately wanted out.

The search for the perfect town house thus began and took a few months itself. Glinda wanted something comfortable, cozy and something that offered protection – things that would be important in raising a child.

She would be raising a child – the whole concept sounded so odd, but this was her reality now and in this reality, Nissa just could not grow up in that palace in the middle of the City. She did not want the child to be raised so close to politics, that should not intrude on a child's life, no. Therefore, Glinda was estatic when she finally found the perfect house just a little north of the city. The estate was glorious and walled in, blocking unwanted eyes, and Glinda could easily commute by bubble to the City whenever the need to do so arose.

Seven months after Nissa came into her life, the two were finally able to officially start their own life together as a little family. It was particularly good timing because politics were starting to get extremely heated. Oz was running out of time, a new leader would be elected in the next few months – on the second anniversary. In the meantime, Glinda was still watching over all of Oz, raising to its aid whenever the need arose, but the majority of her time was spent outside the Emerald City. She knew she was not keeping the promise she made, but how could she? How could she continue the work that was started? Glinda was not an activist. She was not.

The voice in the back of her mind kept whispering, "You promised her. You promised that you would!"

And if she did, all of Oz would turn on her! Like they did to…

_"Now it's up to you, for both of us. Now it's up to you…"_

Maybe it was, but now was not the time. It was too soon, there was still a lot of tension in the air and there would be tension for a long while. She would keep her promise, she would, but right now Oz needed to settle down from the event that triggered everything. If she continued the work now, not only was she putting herself at risk, but little Nissa as well. Having little Nissa around changed everything. Glinda could not just think for herself anymore. Nissa was part of her life now.

It was a valid reasoning, wasn't it?

And Glinda was not pushing everything aside! There was still Chistery! Granted, the poor Monkey spent most of his time hiding in the palace – the environment made him uneasy, but that is where his Lady Glinda was. When she moved, he was extremely pleased. He could run around the townhouse without a care in the world! There were no guards to look down upon him and he was also fond of the child – he loved making Nissa laugh. Not to mention, Lady Glinda was so good to him, even more so now she was away from the City. She worked with him, his speaking was improving which he enjoyed because he could then speak to little Nissa.

Their interaction was always endearing. He was incredibly close to the child.

So in a small way, Glinda was keeping the promise, but she would be the first to admit that she could have been doing more. With time.

With time.

Two months after relocating, Nissa turned a year – based off Evella's and Glinda's guessing. The girl's actual day of birth was unknown to them and they simply could not not celebrate, even just among themselves. Glinda wanted to give the girl a normal life and, well, that just so happened to include birthdays. It was a small celebration – Evella and her little Kiki came and Chistery had a good time entertaining the children.

It was a nice little break for them all. It gave Evella a day off and Glinda's mind was able to escape the political realm she had been forced back into.

There was a certain candidate, popular among the Ozians, that Glinda did not agree with. This candidate from southern Oz – she would not mention his name, it just made her blood boil – was gaining popularity by playing the fear of the Ozians. Frankly, Glinda would not stand for it and had already engaged in a couple debates with the man. At the end of their last… conversation, he accused her of only saying what the Ozians wanted to hear, that she was hiding facts from all them.

The nerve of him!

He was always so keen on attacking her verbally, Glinda had no choice but to get involved, if only to defend herself – it was so ridiculous!

But no, that day was not one to be brought down by him – that day was for little Nissa who had been showered in gifts by the two women and by Glinda's extended family from Gillikin. Momsie and Popsical could not make it on the exact day, but they would visit the following week to see the two of them and the new home. It had upset Glinda a little bit – Nissa was their first grandchild, it was her first birthday! Glinda had to remind herself that, yes, they were a bit old fashioned and were not pleased that their daughter was raising a child out of wedlock – who would want to be involved with a single mother?

It did not matter, Glinda had to remind herself. This was Nissa's day and the only thing that mattered was that she was surrounded by people who loved her. That was all that she needed.

And the child would be fortunate enough to have two different celebrations. This day, one that they had to guess, they were celebrating Nissa's entrance to the world. They would also celebrate the day Nissa came into their lives. Glinda was going to spoil the child.

From Nissa's estimated birthday to the day before the second anniversary, no true major event occurred. Candidates continued to be agrivating, but that was expected of them, really. Glinda had stepped back, allowing them to go back and forth with each other. She only interrupted where she saw fit and that usually only occurred with one of the candidates, one who had made it to the final two.

Tonight, these final two would have one last chance to speak to the citizens of Oz and, more than likely, take a swing at each other. As much as she did not wish, Glinda had to attend and give a speech of her own. She was scheduled to address a crowd in the early evening, before the two were to debate. How she would have loved to be able to leave directly after, but it was expected of her to stay and oversee everything.

"He'll not only take a swing at the poor Winkie ambassador, but no doubt he'll attack me as well," Glinda grumbled to her reflection in the vanity mirror and to Evella who was carefully taking the curlers out of her blonde hair.

"I know I've asked before, Lady Glinda, but are you sure you haven't offended him in the past?" Evella asked, fluffing up the bouncy curls.

"Directly, no, the name Azure Zixi didn't ring a bell before all this started!" Glinda answered for the millionth time.

"Well, you are agemates – perhaps you went to Shiz together? Awfully big university," Evella commented. "Maybe you accidentally broke his heart during your college days?" she, for the most part, was simply teasing the other woman. She did notice her reflection blushing slightly. "Lady Glinda?" she question, raising an eyebrow.

Glinda's cheeks were definitely flushed. She cleared her throat and tried to avoid Evella's bemused stare. "Well… it's not exactly unrealistic," she murmured. "Oh, it was college!" she defended herself. "I was so young!" she pointed out. "And so many boys ran after me!"

"Such a heart breaker, Lady Glinda," Evella continued to tease.

"Surely he would have mentioned something if that were the case, wouldn't he?" Glinda questioned observing Evella's finished work in the mirror. She could always rely on Evella to make her look beautiful. "Seems rather childish otherwise don't you think?" she asked upon standing up.

"It does," Evella agreed. "Frankly at this point, I'm rooting for Ambassador Jinjur. Well, Lady Glinda, you look positively amazing."

A smile tugged on the corners of Glinda's lips. "Miss…" she stopped herself, smile growing. "Evella," she corrected. "Thank you for everything you do for me, for Nissa."

"La- Miss Glinda, I know how difficult it is for a single mother and you took on this role to give that little girl a better life – it is an honor to help someone so good," Evella replied.

Glinda's smile grew. "You always comment how good I am, but Evella do you not realize how kindhearted, how good, you are yourself?"

"Are you practicing for this debate?"

"I do need to bring my best game – this is Zixi we're talking about," Glinda grinned. "But there is truth behind that statement," she informed, walking around the vanity's chair. She exited her room and preceded down the stairs into the living room which was filled with the children's laughter and a silly flying Monkey.

Stopping his mother, the bouncy two year old immediately dashed into Evella's arms. Nissa, on the other hand, was not so quick. The child could only crawl and Glinda met her halfway. She knelt down and picked up the little girl before holding her close, not caring what could possibly happen to the dress she was currently wearing.

"Were you and lil Ki having fun with Chistery, Nissy?" Glinda gushed, placing a kiss on the child's cheek.

The child squealed in Glinda's arms excitedly and reached out towards the flying Monkey. Chistery scooted over to Glinda and reached up to the child. "Lots of fun!" he confirmed with a nod.

"That's so good!" Glinda said, bouncing the little girl in her arms. "And little Nissy will have so much fun tonight while Mommy is away missing her!"

"But Mommy will be here tomorrow with us," Evella piped up, gazing over Glinda's shoulder to meet the eyes of the happy child. "And she'll be able to spend as much time as she wants with little Nissa!"

"Oh without a doubt little Nissa is going to be extremely spoiled tomorrow," Glinda agreed. "One year ago tomorrow, she mysteriously came into our lives – Mommy's little mystery girl…"

"Miss Nissa have fun tomorrow too," Chistery stated, wiggling the finger Nissa had grabbed.

Glinda nodded, passing the girl down to him. "Yes, Miss Nissa will have fun."

"Will have fun," Chistery corrected. His speaking was definitely improving. Glinda did notice a great difference between now and two years ago when he uttered his first words – her name. She did notice a rapid improvement when they left the Emerald City. Poor thing had had a terrible experience in that place. Not to mention, he loved interacting with Nissa which he was able to do more freely now out here in the country. He loved trying to speak to her or about her. Glinda could not wait for Nissa to start speaking in return. It would be so endearing to see the two of them.

"And so will little Kiki!" Glinda added, turning to Evella and the child in her arms. The little boy stared up at her timidly – it was adorable how shy he was. He immediately turned away, burying his face against his mother's chest. Glinda smiled. "Now unfortunately, I have to dismiss myself from all the fun having. Evella, help yourself to anything in the house. The guest room next to mine is entirely yours."

"But your parents, Miss Glinda?" Evella asked, setting Kiki back down who tottered his way back to Chistery and Nissa. "That's the biggest of the guest rooms, surely they would want it instead."

"Of course they would, I'm not disagreeing with you there," Glinda replied. "It's my petty revenge for them not being here for their granddaughter's first birthday – whether or not they realize what it is, that's entirely up to them," she added with a sly smirk.

**xxxxxx**

"Look! It's Lady Glinda!" an over excited citizen shouted from the crowd that had gathered in front of the palace. There was always at least one of them at any of these events – an unofficial announcer, if you will.

"How good it is to see you all!" Glinda greeted as the bubble hovered just over the stage that had been put together the night before. On each end were podiums, which Glinda landed in between after double checking that there were guards on either side of the stage. Her greeting was met with a round of cheering from the citizens who gathered. "Oh fellow Ozians, let us rejoice! Tomorrow, we all start a new chapter of history in Oz!"

She allowed a pause for the cheer she knew that would come. Speaking to these people had become an art form for her – she knew what to say to get a certain reaction out of the crowd. Glinda smiled brightly. "Friends, we have been through so much together. Terrifying times, times of good and peace. Two years ago, I asked you all to allow me to be Glinda the Good and for the last two years, I have been your Glinda the Good."

Her statement was followed by a chorus of 'we love you's and 'long live's. She also knew, although she could not see him, that Azure was rolling his eyes in disgust. "I want the very best for all of Oz, for all of us," Glinda went on. "And I believe that Oz needs to step forward. Yes, Oz was lost before the arrival of the Wizard and with his aid, Oz was set on the right course. Everything that was in chaos is now in order."

From the crowd, she heard someone exclaim it was because of her. Glinda laughed lightly. "Believe me, I am flattered!" Glinda grinned. Oh yes, Azure was probably ready to vomit over this. "What Oz needs right now is an official – an elected official who will continue to lead us through these good times," she pointed out. "And this official, we have been narrowing our search down for this official in the last year and tomorrow, it will come to a close and Oz shall have its new ruler!"

"Lady Glinda, what about you?"

"Don't leave us!"

"Oh no, friends!" Glinda quickly replied. "I won't be going anywhere – I will still be here, I am and will be your Glinda the Good. I will be here helping Oz through anything," she reassured.

There was a sigh of relief which was shared throughout the crowd; they could not imagine losing their beloved Lady Glinda, not after losing their wonderful Wizard.

"Without further ado, I believe we should start with these last speeches," Glinda said. From either sides of the stage, the two candidates stepped forward and took their respective podiums. "Ambassador Jinjur of the Winkie country, welcome to the Emerald City," she greeted the well-dressed tanned skin man who stood to her left. The middle aged man gave Glinda a small bow – quiet and reserve just as usual.

Turning to the man on her right, Glinda had to force herself to smile to the slick young man. Everything about him made her skin crawl – the way he combed his dark hair back, the way his hazel eyes were staring her down, she even disliked the way his collar was popping out. "And Sir Azure Zixi, the citizens of Oz bid you welcome to this wonderful city as well," she stated. "Each of you will be addressing the people one final time before their voices are heard. Ambassador Jinjur, you have the floor first."

"Thank you, Lady Glinda," the ambassador replied as Glinda was escorted off the stage by one of the guards. He then turned to the crowd. "As our lovely Lady was saying, these are new times for Oz and they do not need to be frightening," he began. "This is a time of enlightenment for us, a time to start a new and to learn from our past. Working together, we can all come together and form a stronger, united-"

"Ambassador Jinjur," Azure interrupted. "You are in no position to speak about a united Oz."

The crowd which had been listening to every word began murmuring among itself. Ambassador Jinjur glared at Azure. "I beg your pardon, Sir Zixi."

From the side of the stage, Glinda frowned. Yes, she had been expecting this from Azure, but she had been expecting it to be directed at her. He had not attacked Jinjur in the past; she was positive he would not be able to attack such a humble man anyway. "Sir Zixi," Glinda spoke up loudly over the murmuring. "Allow me to remind you that you too will have your time to speak-"

"I am well aware of it," Azure noted, but then gestured to the Winkie ambassador. "But I cannot allow the people of Oz to be lied to by this… ambassador," he replied snarkly.

"He has only made two statements!" Glinda shouted.

"Of blasphemy!" Azure shouted right back.

An eerie silence fell upon the entire crowd. No one dared to make an utterance or dared to move. The tension in the air was incredibly thick. Glinda and Azure were starting each other down and Ambassador Jinjur just looked uncomfortable, but it was he to break the silence. "Sir Zixi," he stated. "I have served my Winkie country for years, I have worked with the Wizard for the sake of the Winkies and I care to do the same for all of Oz. Never have I been disrespected-"

"My good ambassador," Azure butted in once more. "Two years ago all of Oz came together to defeat a common threat – two years ago tomorrow to be exact."

"The witch hunts have nothing to do-"

"Lady Glinda, where was your dear friend, the Wicked Witch of the West, ultimately found?" Azure demanded, clearly annunciating 'your dear friend' at the woman's direction. "The Ozians are waiting for an answer," he pointed out when his question was followed by silence.

"According to spectulation," Glinda began slowly, trying to keep her temper in check and keep herself from shaking. "The Wicked Witch was found at Kiamo Ko, but why does that-"

"Sir Zixi is trying to point out that she was found in the Winkie country," the ambassador spoke up. "He is making a ridiculous claim –"

"Ridiculous claim?" Azure scoffed. "The Witch hid out at Kiamo Ko and her followers, those radicals, all fled to the Winkie country seeking salvation – those radicals that labeled our wonderful Wizard evil! They all fled to the Winkie country when the witch hunts began, hunts that the Winkie people did not join!"

"Do not generalize my people!"

Azure smirked. "Ah ha!" he proclaimed. "Your people! The Winkies, not all of Oz, not all Ozians!"

Glinda had to put her foot down. "Sir Zixi, you are out of line!"

"Out of line?" Azure repeated. "All hail Saint Lady Glinda the Good," he mocked. "What all of Oz seems to forgot is that you were close to our most hated enemy and that people you employee in this palace-" he gestured to the tall massive building behind him. "- can be traced to radical groups!"

Although she was indeed fuming out of anger, Glinda felt her heart skip a beat and a wave of panic overcame her. She knew very well who he was talking about, but did he actually have a name? Did he know exactly who he was talking about? Glinda was fine with him going after her, but he would be taking things to a whole new level if he mentioned Evella by name – she had nothing to do with any of this!

"My fellow Ozians!" Azure spoke up even louder, his voice echoing over the buzzing crowd. "Is this how you want to be ruled? By an ambassador who forsake us in our darkest hour or by a woman who allows our enemy to roam the halls of our late Wizard's scared palace?"

"They are not our enemy!" Glinda tried to shout over the crowd, but her voice fell upon deaf ears.

"Do not tarnish Lady Glinda's good name!" the ambassador shouted back. "Not when she helped all of Oz through an extremely terrifying time!" She was honored that he was trying to stand up for her, he was so very thoughtful that way, but he truly needed to focus on protecting and defending himself from Azure's absurd claims.

"These two frolic about, proclaiming how good it would be to have a united Oz, to set our differences aside, forget our past and work towards a brighter future," Azure proclaimed at the rowdy crowd. "Ozians, in order to obtain that future, we must embrace our past – we must protect ourselves, prepare ourselves for what is to come!"

Glinda looked appauled. She could not stand here anymore. Followed by one of the guards, she took to the stage once more. Maybe from here, where she could be seen, she could also be heard. "You are instilling unneccesary fear among these people!" she snapped as she stepped up to Ambassador Jinjur's side.

"These last two years have been nothing but peaceful!" Ambassador Jinjur remarked. "We have been-"

"Oh without a doubt we have been enjoying nothing but peace," Azure could not help but agree. "We were all blind sighted by the Witch's death, but never once did we question it."

"What was there to question?" the ambassador asked with a scoff. "Are you suggesting that you share the same views of the radicals, Sir Zixi?" Glinda had to bite back a smirk as Jinjur began to play Azure's dirty little game – Oz knows the man deserved it, deserved to know the headache he was causing.

"You of all people have no right to accuse me of such a thing, Winkie ambassador!" Azure remarked.

"Sir Zixi, all of Oz knows the melting occurred at-" Glinda began in hopes that the two of them would manage to silence him once and for all. Sadly, that was not the case.

"The melting!" Azure repeated. "We were all told of the infamous melting, that nothing was left behind! That was our confirmation of her death, a confirmation which we cannot whole heartedly believe unless we wish to put our safety at risk!"

The murmuring among the crowd increased.

"Death by water – please tell me, if I were to toss a bucket of water on you, Lady Glinda, would you melt?" Azure questioned.

"Of course not-" Glinda began to reply.

"You see, fellow Ozians!"

"Lady Glinda is not wicked!" the ambassador shouted. He was simply ignored.

"For all we know, the Witch is in hiding in the Winkie country!" Azure pointed out. "Citizens of Oz, allow me to protect you! I shall head a search of Kiamo Ko myself and I shall lead us to a safe future, one where we no longer have to worry about backstabbing low lives who would rather serve an evil being than think about the rest of Oz!"

When the crowd exploded into cheers, Glinda felt her heart sank. She had been hoping the citizens would see right through his ridiculous claims, but he had sunk his claws deep into their sense of fear – and how dare he do such a thing! Using the Witch, her friend, to get ahead… And here Glinda was unable to defend her at all, unable to clear her name – all because she promised…

"This is a sad day for Oz…"

Glinda immediately gazed over to the ambassador who had stepped down from his podium. He was already making his way off the stage. Glinda, with a guard on her heels, followed after him. "Ambassador Jinjur, please wait!"

As soon as he took the last step, the ambassador turned around. Another roar of cheer erupted from the crowd. Neither of them were paying attention to what garbage Azure was spewing forth. "Lady Glinda, I'm sorry," he apologized. "But Oz is not ready for change – at least not in the way we have both hoped for, sadly."

"Ambassador, we mustn't give up, we have to continue fighting-"

"We would be fighting all of Oz and the Ozians must not turn against you of all people, Lady Glinda!" the ambassador warned. His hard facial features soften when he saw her eyebrow furrow in slight confusion. "I predict Oz is in for some more troubling times and our Glinda the Good needs to help us see the way."

"I don't understand," Glinda admitted.

"It will not just be the Animals fighting for their rights anymore, but the Winkie people as well now," he explained with a faint frown. "I know the temptation to speak out against Azure is-"

There was another roar of cheer, making it difficult for Glinda to hear what she was being told. "Please, Ambassador Jinjur, let us continue this conversation inside," she offered.

To her dismay, he shook his head. "I need to return to the Winkie country, I need to warn and protect my fellow Winkies."

"Ambassador Jinjur, please believe me, had I known something like this would have happened, I never would have purposed this idea at all! I thought Oz was ready for a change," Glinda explained.

He gave her a grim smile in return. "So did I, Lady Glinda. So did I… Please, protect yourself. Be careful what you say in Azure's presence – or in front of all the Ozians as well for that matter."

"Ambassador Jinjur-"

"I must leave," he quickly stated. "Time is of the essence. Take care, Lady Glinda. They may not be aware of it, but all of Oz needs you to be the shining beacon of light and hope in these dark times." He did not allow her to respond. He had quickly turned around to take leave.

**xxxxxx**

Dark times.

Oz would be cast in dark times once again. If the witch were alive today, what would she think of Glinda? Would she look down on her? Upset that Glinda did not keep her promise? Would she blame her for all this – and, more importantly, would she have been right?

This was entirely her fault, wasn't it?

If Glinda would have taken on the responsibility of ruling Oz, none of this would have happened. No, she would have made everyone happy! Ambassador Jinjur would not be worrying over the well being of the Winkies and Azure would have been – well, she was not entirely sure where he would be, but he would not have been in the Emerald City, that was certain. All of Oz would have been better off, but she had declined the title and why? Why did she refuse it to begin with?

Ah yes, because she had been afraid.

She had been afraid that not everyone would accept her ways or polices, that she would be disliked – that she would be… less popular.

As quietly as possible, Glinda opened the front door to the silent house which had become her home. She closed and locked the door behind her before leaning up against it. Her mind was wandering, thousands upon thousands of thoughts were racing by her. What if Ambassador Jinjur was right? What would that mean for Nissa and for Kiki for that matter? And Azure – did he know about Evella's story? True, when they first met, Glinda had been weary of the woman, but she was now one of the only few people Glinda trusted.

One thing was certain, Glinda did not want to wake up tomorrow morning knowing full well who would be ruling Oz and who would be doing so out of fear.

_**To be continued**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** The Returnance

**Author: **AoN

**Word Count: **4,700

**Genre:** Drama, Adventure

**Rating:** PG-13

**Feedback:** Please and thank you! Let me know what I'm doing right or doing wrong.

**Summary:** After many celebrations of the Wicked Witch's death, a new evil appears in the wonderful land of Oz, forcing Glinda the Good to confront the decisions she had made in the past and to accept a truth she cannot fully grasp.

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the delay of this chapter! I took a summer course so my attention has been elsewhere.

**Chapter Five**

Two years ago to the day, Ozians had been dancing in the streets of the Emerald City and singing the wonderful news they had heard. Today, Glinda was glad that she was not scheduled to join them, pretending to celebrate alongside them when in reality her heart was aching over the death of her only beloved friend that mattered.

She had thought that perhaps time would cause the pain to dull along with having little Nissa in her life, but the ache was still there and it was just as strong. Perhaps it was even stronger due to last evening's events. Glinda just knew that her friend would be extremely disappointed in her. Glinda could have done better, she knew she could have! If only she had not been so selfish, if only she did not give a damn about what others would have thought about her! Things would have been different for everyone!

Glinda rolled over in bed as the morning sun began to seep through her window curtains. Just like last year, she had been unable to sleep, too much of her mind to actually fall asleep. Clutched tightly to her chest was the infamous black hat. Gazing down upon it caused a lump to grow in her throat. No, this was definitely harder. Now more than ever Glinda wanted her here, she needed her here – she would know what to do in a time like this, unlike her who was so completely clueless and utterly lost with everything.

Why did she have to die? Surely there could have been another way! Glinda could have helped her! Somehow, she was not exactly sure how, but she could have done something else instead of helplessly watching Dorothy murder her with a bucket of water.

Azure's words were still singing loudly in her head. 'Death by water – please tell me, if I were to toss a bucket of water on you, Lady Glinda, would you melt?'

Back at Shiz, the witch did avoid water, yes; she had never been too fond of it, therefore the idea did not seem so farfetched. Not to mention, if the witch faked her own death, she would have told Glinda – Glinda had been her only friend after all. She would not keep something like that from her, right?

A part of her did hope – hoped that she was actually alive somewhere. Even if Glinda did not know, and probably would never know, at least she would be alive somewhere. The idea was ridiculous, it was ridiculous! It has been two years, she watched everything herself – the witch was dead! Dead! Gone!

A small sob parted from her lips as she closed her bright blue stinging eyes to prevent further tears from escaping. She had to stop crying, had to keep quiet. Evella was staying in the guest room next door and she should not see Glinda like this. She had to regain her composure – this date was no longer supposed to be a day of negativity and sorrow. Today was supposed to be happy and joyful. Granted, she did have to tell the story to Evella and her parents about the previous night and that would only upset everyone, but it was going to be a wonderful day – Nissa came into their lives a year ago today. That was more than enough reason to celebrate and smile today.

"I still miss you," she murmured to the hat before she sat up. "You'd have thought she's adorable – would have teased me about being responsible for someone else besides myself." Glinda could not help but grin grimly at the what if scenario playing in her mind. "Still hurts, still have nightmares… Still can't even bring myself to say your name again," she said, looking down at the hat in her hands as she stood up. Maybe she was being overly cautious, but one could never know – Glinda hid the hat away in her nightstand draw.

"Really miss you," she repeated.

Glinda headed out of her bedroom, picking up a baby light blue robe from the armchair. She slipped it on over her nightgown and slipped out into the quiet still vaguely dark hallway. She sniffed and tabbed the corners of her eyes as she walked down the hall before entering the last room on the left. Although inside the room was still a little dark, a very light bluish green glow – extremely light – was radiating from the crib in the corner, causing Glinda to genuinely smile. She smiled even more so when the light began to bounce up and down, followed by the constant babbling of 'mamamamama.'

That was Mommy's little bouncy diamonded baby girl.

"Good morning, little one!" Glinda cooed, walking over to the closed window. She pulled the curtains back, allowing the faint morning light to flood the nursery. She gazed over her shoulder to the little girl, smiling. Nissa was smiling in return – absolutely adorable.

"Is my little early riser happy this morning?" Glinda cooed, striding over to the crib. She leaned down to place a kiss on the child's forehead. The top of her lip was brushed by strands of the infant's dark hair, it tickled her. The girl squealed. "Are you happy? Happy because you've been with Mommy a whole year now?" Glinda grinned.

The little girl lifted her arms and Glinda complied. She picked up her little one and bounced her in her arms who only continued to giggle. "Of course you are! Little Nissa is oh so happy! Of course she is!"

Oh how easy life was through the eyes of a child. Nissa had nothing to worry about in her small world which was enclosed within the walls of the property. It was a good life, everything made sense and everyone loved each other. This was her existence, this was her paradise. Everything, for now, was simple. Everything was good because, well, Glinda was here to make it so. She was here to protect the child and she was able to fully in this small world of theirs, but Glinda knew it was a role she would not be able to uphold forever. Nissa would eventually grow up, would eventually venture beyond the walls of their shared little realm and Glinda knew she would not be able to protect her from the bad, the evil that existed.

But for now, she could. She could and would protect the little girl for as long as possible – that was the role of a parent, wasn't it? 

"Mamamama!" the child squealed excitedly.

Glinda could not help but laugh at the child's enthusiasm. "You are going to be an outspoken one, aren't you?" she asked, her grin now grim. "Exactly like… Auntie Wi… Auntie Elphaba."

When the name parted from Glinda's lips, her heart experienced a painful pang of guilt. She had not spoken the name in two years and the last time she had, she was standing over her friend's remains. She could have helped her, she could have, but she didn't.

"Oh Elphaba…" Glinda repeated with sadness in her voice. The little girl looked up at Glinda with a puzzled look, wondering what caused the sudden change of tone in her mother. When Glinda met the child's dark brown eyes, she forced a smile. "You would have loved your Auntie Elphie, little Nissa," she reassured. "Not sure how she would have fared with children – she did take care of her sister, your namesake, Nessarose, but they were closed in age."

Talking about her dear friend, finally talking about Elphaba, although painful, was oddly soothing and comforting. Little did Glinda know that this would be the first time out of many she would tell many stories about Elphaba to little Nissa.

**xxxxxx**

"Oh Galinda dear, you would not believe the traffic!" Larena exclaimed as she came through the door. The Highmuster Arduenna followed in after her, carrying a couple handbags. Evella quickly came to his rescue.

"There's more in the carriage, Miss Evella," he directed before turning his attention to his daughter who was tightly embracing his wife. He was glad to see the two (out of the three) important girls in his life. "And how is my little princess?"

"Oh Popsicle! I'm doing fine," Glinda replied, stepping around her mother to embrace him.

"I was referring to our little Nissa," he teased, hugging her. He placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"Always the teaser," Glinda scrunched her nose as she took a step back. "Nissa is fine, just went down for her afternoon nap with Kiki a little bit ago. You'll see her when she wakes."

"Resting up to play with Grammie!" Larena gushed. "Galinda, dear, we brought her a ton of gifts from the Uplands."

"I figured you would," Glinda replied as Evella came through the door with more baggage. "Evella, do you need a hand?"

Evella flashed her a quick smile. "I have everything under control, Miss Glinda. I'll put everything in the guest room – go catch up with your parents."

"Thank you," Glinda grinned before turning to her parents. "Let's go into the foyer, shall we? Momsie, Popsicle, anything to drink?" she offered.

They followed after Glinda. "No, dear, we are perfectly fine, thank you," Larena declined. "I'm glad to see an elegant Gilikin décor, Galinda. This is a lovely home."

"One must never forget where they are from – there's no place like home, after all," Glinda replied as they entered the foyer. Larena went to take a seat on the couch and Glinda joined her.

The Highmuster Arduenna, on the other hand, began circling the new room, admiring the paintings and photography. "Galinda," he began slowly. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked once more. "We heard rumors on the road about last night."

"The foul mouthed Azure Zixi,"Larena said bitterly.

Glinda had to stop herself from smirking at her mother's tone, but she was a bit amazed that they had heard anything – one really should not question the speed of gossip. "I'll admit that I was a bit ruffled last night, but I've calmed down since," she answered honestly.

"What exactly happened, dear?" the Highmuster Arduenna asked.

"I'll tell all once Evella joins us," Glinda replied. "I haven't told her yet either."

"Alright," her father complied, taking a seat in the armchair. "So little Nissa is doing fine?"

"Yes," Glinda replied, beaming. Her attitude changed immediately once her little one was mentioned. "She's right on schedule – we're assuming – with her developments. She pulls herself up now! She's so incredibly bright," she grinned.

Larena was beaming at her daughter. She loved seeing her this proud – she was exactly the same whenever she spoke of Glinda. "Oh that's wonderful, darling!"

"So is she walking yet?" the Highmuster Arduenna asked with a grin.

"Oh I wouldn't say walking – she tumbles and falls over quite a bit," Glinda replied. "And I nearly have a heart attack every time she does! I've aged decades in the last few weeks!"

The Highmuster Arduenna chuckled. "We were the same way with you," he said. "You come to learn that they are not as fragile as you think they are, darling, and sometimes falling down is good for them. They learn to get right back up – an important lesson."

"And no matter how hard you try," Larena added. "You can't always protect them from harms' way. A bump or bruise will happen from time to time."

Glinda offered her mother a smile as she nodded. That may be the case, but she was going to do her damnest to protect Nissa even from those while she was under her case. "Enough about us, how was the trip?"

Her two parents exchanged glances. "It is safe to say it was long," they both agreed.

"Galinda, dear, the traffic!"

"Ozians were all traveling to their families and festivities today," Glinda stated. "Many to the Emerald City which is not too far from here – I can only imagine the insane traffic. What about the train from the Uplands?"

"It was a little crowded at worst," the Highmuster Arduenna admitted. "But traffic picked up near Shiz university."

"Oh yes, those unruly university students," Larena scoffed. "Not an ounce of manners in the whole lot of them!"

"Oh come now, it couldn't have been that bad!" Glinda could not help but grin. "And need I remind you I was once an unruly university student myself."

"Years ago!" Larena interrupted.

"You make me sound terribly old!"

"Galinda dear…"

"Graduation day was not years ago!"

"Say what you will, but you were – oh alright, are," Larena corrected after receiving a rather convincing glare. "You are not like that nasty little bunch! Even that green friend of yours, although she was a bit testy – whatever happened to her?"

Leave it to her mother to be terribly blunt and, well, unobserving. She had not made the connection between Elphaba and the Wicked Witch of the West, had she? Then again, Elphaba had not really caused a scare in the North. Glinda found herself forced to smile and she had to swallow the lump in her throat before she could answer. "I'm not entirely sure," she lied – she was now an expert at lying. "We went our separate ways after Shiz, never really kept in touch."

"Probably landed herself in a bit of trouble – I remember the first letter you sent home from Shiz," her father recalled. "You were very upset over the rooming situation."

"Yes, I did over react a little," Glinda responded. Hearing the shuffling of feet against the flooring, she glanced over her shoulder to find Evella at the doorway and she was glad to find her there for Glinda was not exactly enjoying where this conversation was going. "Evella, join us!" she said, probably a little too excitedly as she patted the empty spot next to her on the couch.

"Thank you," Evella replied, taking the offered seat. "Mr. and Mrs. Upland, your bleongings are all in the guest room upstairs."

The Highmuster Arduenna nodded. "Thank you kindly, Miss Evella. Now, Galinda, are you going to tell us what happened last night? There are so many rumors flying about. Your mother and I don't know what to believe."

Almost immediately she felt three pairs of eyes staring at her, waiting for an explanation. "Well," Glinda began. "You all know how I feel about Azure Zixi and how he treats me in return but let me assure you, what he's done to me before in the past can be considered a compliment in regards to what he did last night not only to me but to Ambassador Jinjur as well."

"He's stooped lower than his own standards? I find that hard to believe," Evella commented with a little snort.

"The man is incredibly ruthless," Larena agreed. "He torn the governor of the Upper Uplands a new one a few months back when the poor man was still in the running."

"Ruthless as he may be, isn't a strong leader what Oz needs right now?" the Highmuster Arduenna asked.

"Without a doubt – and I can't believe I'm admitting this – he's a strong leader," Glinda agreed. "But, no, Oz does not need to be ruled in fear, not again. What Oz needs is a strong leader with a kind heart, a brain and, well, frankly, courage. We've been through dark times, we need to be lead out of them."

"But hasn't protecting Oz been his campaign all along?" her father asked.

"Oh yes it has," Glinda replied. "But he wants to 'protect' by turning all of Oz against each other!" Having everyone's attention, she began to explain and tell about last night's events – how Azure flat out attacked the poor Ambassador Jinjur, how he convinced the crowd that the Winkies should not be trusted. "He pretty well convinced everyone that we must live in fear to protect ourselves from any danger – ridiculous if you ask me," she commented. "And you should have seen the Ambassador afterward! He's afraid of an uprising against his people and I can't blame him. He was even concerned about me, but I know how to handle Azure's low blows."

"Has the Ambassador pulled out of the race then?" Evella asked.

"I don't think he has officially, no," Glinda replied. "But if he's already off in Winkie Country then perhaps may be he is."

"Well, does that mean Azure is Oz's ruler?" the Highmuster Arduenna questioned.

"Oh, Galinda dear what does that mean for you?" Larena quickly added.

Glinda frowned, upset. With all the events from last night, she had not realized that yes, it probably did mean that Azure would be ruling Oz. "Well, if the Ambassador is still in the race, then nothing will be official until tonight so there's still a chance however small it may be," she replied hopefully. "As for myself, I'll keep speaking – Azure can't silence Oz's Glinda the Good."

"No dear, I mean what does it mean for you and your little family," Larena corrected.

Her mother's question hit her like a yellow brick wall. Glinda felt her stomach tie itself into tight knots and for a moment, she could not breathe. She knew what her mother intended and it was a sense of worry that, Glinda noticed, spread to Evella also.

"Kiki and Nissa are part Winkie," Evella murmured.

"If Azure takes office, no Winkie will be safe from discrimination surely," the Highmuster Arduenna concluded, frowning.

"I won't allow him to pass any policies that would directly affect the Winkie people then!" Glinda said stubbornly. "And neither will the Ambassador for that matter."

"The Munchkins won't stand for it either," Evella pointed out. "They know what it's like to have their rights taken away, they'll side against anything Azure tries to pass if that is the case."

"Or they'll just succeed from Oz all together like they threatened to do during the whole Wicked Witch fiasco," the Highmuster Arduenna retorted. "And Gilikin will do nothing if they aren't directly involved. Galinda, you should return to the Uplands with Nissa-"

"If I were to leave the Emerald City all together then I'd be giving up," Glinda interrupted. "I can't do that, not when someone like Azure is about to take power."

"But Nissa-" Larena began.

"The only people in all of oz who know Nissa's lineage are in this room," Glinda replied. "She only has diamonds on her forearms, they can be concealed."

"A life of hiding? I won't have it for my grandbaby!" Larena at once protested and Glinda found herself struggling to keep her rising temper in check.

"She won't be hiding," Glinda stated firmly, annoyed. "Far from it. She will have a normal childhood and so will Kiki. We just need to be careful, that's all."

"Well," the Highmuster Arduenna spoke up before his wife could utter a remark. "What does Miss Evella have to say about all this?" he asked, gesturing towards the young woman in an attempt to distract both his wife and daughter from one another.

Evella could feel the tension growing between mother and daughter and she truly did not want to speak against them, but she was addressed personally. "W-Well, I don't think hiding is the answer-"

"Oh Evella!" Glinda jumped to her feet and everyone else nearly out of their skins. She quickly turned to the woman and took her hand. "You can't go back to the palace!"

"W-What do you mean, Miss Glinda?" Evella asked, eyebrows furrowing in concern. "I must, I work-"

"No!" Glinda replied. "Oh please, Evella, come work for me personally – don't go back to the Emerald City!"

"Miss Glinda what's gotten into you?"

"Azure announced to everyone that among the palace staff is a radical," Glinda explained. "If anyone were to find out about your background, you'd be locked away from sure."

At the term radical, the Highmuster Arduenna rose to his feet. "What do you mean? Is Miss Evella a radical?"

"Of course not!" Glinda quickly replied, cursing her slip of the tongue. This was not her secret to share yet she had just put Evella in that position.

"I reassure you, sir. I'm not," Evella quickly defended herself. "But my parents were – I'm often found guilty by association, but I am not myself."

"Azure won't see it that way and we all know it," Glinda informed.

"But working directly for you – the sudden change would be suspicious," Larena piped up. "Consider coming back to Gilikin, Galinda…"

"Wouldn't suddenly moving back to Gilikin be suspicious as well?" Glinda asked in return. "We can't do anything rash! Any sudden changes is exactly what Azure will be looking for and believe me when I say he'll be looking for them. He wants to turn the people of Oz against me – who knows why he hates me so."

Sitting back down, her father cleared his throat. "Glinda dear, there was another rumor flying about on our way here," he spoke up. "It may shed some light on the matter."

"Do you remember your old headmistress at Shiz, dear?" Larena asked.

"Horrible Morrible," Glinda automatically responded. "I mean, Madame Morrible, of course I remember. The broad committed treason against Oz, I had her sent away."

"Azure may be her son," Larena stated.

Immediately, Glinda's jaw dropped and she was rendered speechless by the information she was given. Her son? That wretched thing had been able to reproduce…? Her mind was having the most difficult time comprehending the possibility. Azure was about her age, perhaps a bit older, but Madame Morrible was simply ancient.

"I think we all know why he constantly attacks you now," Evella remarked.

How Glinda managed to find her voice again was beyond her, but she did. "We don't even know if that's true – it would make sense, but… Madame Morrible a mother? I can't imagine it."

"Plausible explanation," Evella shrugged.

"She never once mentioned family at Shiz!" Glinda protested. "Azure would have attended the university around the same time-"

"If he even went at all," Larena pointed out.

"Don't speak nonsense!" the Highmuster Arduenna grunted. "The man is about to rule all of Oz, of course he attended university!"

Glinda shook her head. "I would have remembered someone as foul as him at Shiz."

"Unless he had no reason to bother you at Shiz," Evella pointed out. "You sent Madame Morrible away two years ago – definitely after your Shiz days."

"Miss Evella makes a fair argument, dear," Larena agreed.

Feeling a tension headache coming on, Glinda leaned forward slightly and rested her forehead against her hands. This situation was getting out of control, becoming more and more complex and there was nothing she could do about it. "Alright," she began slowly, looking up. "If that's the case then there is absolutely nothing we can do at this point – we can't change the past. We just all need to be careful from now on."

"Nissa's adoption papers came from the Uplands," the Highmuster Arduenna recalled. "And as far as anyone else is concerned, she's from Gilikin."

"It's just those diamonds can never be shown," Larena added although she still overall did not like the idea, but she could not make any decision on Glinda's behalf anymore. Her daughter was an adult, an adult looking after her own daughter.

"And that is the worst case scenario. If Azure starts making policies against the Winkies-" Glinda began.

"Do it regardless," Evella interjected. "Just in case. We'll do it regardless. It's better for them to be safe than sorry and you made it sound as if Ambassador Jinjur was really shaken up by the whole thing."

"So there will be no risk taking," the Highmuster Arduenna concluded.

Both Glinda and Evella nodded, but Glinda turned to the other woman. "Please quit your job," she begged. "Not right now, but over time. It'll be too dangerous having you in the palace so close to him. Listen to me!" she snapped when Evella began to protest. "You told me your story because you trusted me with it and you have proven yourself to be a kind, gentle friend to me, Evella. Azure has already gotten wiff of your story. He already knows too much and may be capable of finding out more."

"Thank you for your kind words, Miss Glinda, but I need that job," Evella protested anyway.

"Glinda," she finally corrected. "No more formalities, but I want you to quit and I want you to come here – this is a large house after all."

"Glinda, I can't –"

"I'll hire you and you can't trek here and back every day," Glinda insisted. Evella was not about to outstubborn her. "There's plenty of room, you'll have your own privacy if that is the issue."

"You're very kind, Glinda, but… I can't accpe that it's too much," Evella attempted to decline once more.

"Evella, please."

"Galinda dear, why are you being so insistent on the matter?" Larena asked.

Feeling a lump growing in her throat, Glinda had to look away and try to keep her emotion in check. "Azure is a dangerous man," Glinda pointed out the obvious. None of them needed to be reminded of course. "And Evella is a dear friend of mine, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something were to happen to her, especially if I could have done something to prevent it," she explained the emotions she knew all too well, not that any of them would actually know any of this. "Just, please at least consider, if anything at all, Evella."

The woman looked over at Glinda with a faint smile as she reached over to take and squeeze her hand. A little over a year ago, she would have felt honored to be in the same room as Glinda the Good and here she was calling her a dear friend. "Let's see how today ultimately unfolds," Evella replied. "Let's see if Azure is even elected, there's still hope as little as it may be."

"Promise me you'll be in this house if things begin to turn for the worst even in the slightest,"Glinda stated, looking her in the eye. "This isn't just about your safety, this is also for Kiki," she added, knowing full well that there was nothing as important in the entire world for her. Glinda knew this extremely well – she felt the exact same way for her own little daughter, her little Nissa.

"When it- If it," Evella corrected herself. "If it reaches that point, then you have my word, Glinda,"she promised.

Without another word, Glinda leaned over and embraced the woman tightly. Evella returned the embrace, positive that this had been the first time Glinda had hugged her. This truly meant a lot to Glinda, Azure had her terrified.

"And if things get extremely out of hand," the Highmuster Arduenna spoke up when the embrace ended. "We want both of you – all four of you – to come to the Uplands, no excuses."

"Hopefully," Larena added. "It won't have to come to that."

"Yes, hopefully we are just all over reacting," Evella agreed.

Glinda sighed heavily. She too hoped beyond all hope that none of these precautions would be necessary, but a small part of her knew and believed otherwise. She was not about to tell everyone that, she did not want to further add to the worry. "Enough about that," she finally concluded forcing a smile. "That's not why we have come together for and we won't speak of it again today – little Nissa is wanting to be spoiled."

_**To Be Continued**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** The Returnance

**Author: **AoN

**Word Count: **5,200

**Genre:** Drama, Adventure

**Rating:** PG-13

**Feedback:** Please and thank you! Let me know what I'm doing right or doing wrong.

**Summary:** After many celebrations of the Wicked Witch's death, a new evil appears in the wonderful land of Oz, forcing Glinda the Good to confront the decisions she had made in the past and to accept a truth she cannot fully grasp.

**Chapter Six**

Although a year had past, the concept was still foreign to her – no one stared at her. Granted, no one had stared at her during her first trip to the Emerald City in her Shiz days, but here in the other world (which was called Earth by its inhabitants), they had no reason to actually stare. Elphaba did not stick out like a sore thumb, not at all – she blended in with everyone else. She usually was no different than the person standing beside her. Somehow, Oz knows how, she had been degreenified.

It had taken some getting use to, the new land and their new appearance (in Fiyero's case, old). The whole process was made easier by Elphaba's magic, but it was difficult nonetheless. The city was new, the people different and the customs odd, but they managed. It took time to grow accustom to everything, but they were able to fit in. Elphaba had been able to magic their way into a modest home and they had been able to come across as a newly wedded couple trying to find their place in this crazy world which truly was their story in reality.

They had settled in this little suburb and attempted to mind their own business, but the neighbors were over friendly, always wanting to talk and know what was going on. It was most taxing; try to keep their story straight. When asked where he was from, Fiyero had accidentally said 'Oz.' Luckily for them that was a nickname for a faraway place called 'Australia.'

A little after that, they had been asked what Fiyero did for a living so he had to go out and get a job – a desk job at some office in the city. Apparently, the job had meant more socializing at these office parties, but if this is what they had to do to fit in, then so be it. One of these jobs really had not been expected out of Elphaba, she just had to do all the house work. Odd customs indeed.

But that was fine.

They were safe and that is what mattered after all, right? They did not have to worry about witch hunts or the Wizard or having to constantly hide. They were okay.

At least, Fiyero was okay. He had settled into this new life a lot quicker than she had, but she figured that was due to the straw. He always told her that it did not bother him in the slightest, but Elphaba knew better. She knew he was not use to not having his physical beauty. In this land, he did not have his blue diamonds, a trademark that set the Winkies apart from the rest of Oz, but as long as he was not made of straw, he was happy. He was quick to forget about Oz.

Elphaba, who had long ago accepted her appearance, was clinging on to her memory of Oz and feared that she would ultimately forget about the land that was now foreign to her. It was not so much the land, but the people. Glinda. Her one true friend. How was she? Where was she? Could she ever forgive Elphie for what she had done? Would she be able to see the reasoning behind it? She had wanted to tell Glinda that they were alright, but Fiyero had immediately turned down the idea. In order for them to be truly safe, absolutely no one could ever know which meant that they could never return. They could never go back to Oz.

Never.

Every time she thought about it, her chest tightened. Never going back meant never knowing what ultimately happened to the little one. That was probably the hardest part, not knowing. There was no way to be certain to knew that Glinda had taken the child in to care as for her own. Had Elphaba left a hint behind, then she would have been certain, but it all came back to Fiyero's plan – no one could know that they were alive.

Although he had never shown it, Elphaba was positive that he was curious as well – this was the well being of their child, after all. FIyero had loved the child, they both did, from the moment of her birth, but he had been afraid to hold the child with his straw hands. He had been afraid to touch the child at all, but that did not mean Fiyero did not connect with the girl. Elphaba had caught him once or twice in the middle of the night talking to his 'Arjiki princess.'

They had both promised not to grow attached because they both ultimately knew what they had to do. They both knew they could count on Glinda, but the issue still remained – did they put their trust in the right individual?

This had to have bothered him just as much as it had bothered her, but they never brought it up to each other. However, a whole year had past and it was gnawing away at Elphaba. She simply had to know, she had to make sure that everything was truly alright. It would be a quick trip straight to the palace in the Emerald City. All she would need is a little piece of evidence that showed that Glinda had kept the child.

Maybe Elphaba would be able to find out the little one's name at last also…

Fiyero would never allow for such a trip – too risky. Theywere each other's world now, they could not, would not, risk losing each other. That did not change the fact that Elphaba still wanted to try.

_"But until I try, I'll never know!"_

With a faint sigh, Elphaba rolled over in bed to face her still sleeping Fiyero. She knew that he would not hear it, he did not want to go back to Oz. It would be out of the question. They would be far from safe in the land of Oz, but it would just be quick! She had to know if their plan worked and Fiyero had to be a little curious himself. She was more than capable of eluding unwanted attention.

Elphaba reached out and gently stroked her sleeping beloved's cheek. He stirred quietly but did not wake. She knew he was a heavy sleeper and it would not have woken him. Her poor Winkie prince had been use to sleeping during the day and partying all night during his school days. Now he held a job that required him to be up early in the morning so when he ever had the chance to sleep in, he took it and not even a twister could wake him.

Trying not to make a sound regardless of his sleeping habits, Elphaba rolled back over to the edge of their shared bed and silently got out. She pulled on a robe over her night gown before heading out of the room and down the hallway. He would be up before she knew it. In the meantime, she could prep her case against him. Taking the stairs, Elphaba found herself in the kitchen and making their morning pot of coffee. She knew the aroma would carry back put the stairs and into their bedroom. Fiyero was a heavy sleeper, yes, but she knew the smell of morning coffee would jolt him awake – eventually.

As dark liquid began to collect, Elphaba dismissed herself out of the kitchen and through the living room. After unlocking and opening the front door, Elphaba stepped outside onto the porch. Instantly, her dark eyes fell onto the newspaper sitting at the end of the driveway as they have every morning for the last year. She had been doing the same thing every morning for the last year. Everything had a routine and she definitely felt trapped within the never ending cycle she managed to get trapped into in this world.

Rather absent mindedly, Elphaba had walked down the driveway to the newspaper which she knelt down to pick up.

"Good morning, Mrs. T!"

Elphaba looked up at the sound of the young voice which belonged to the little neighbor boy who was riding his bike up and down his own driveway dressed in his Sunday best. She grinned slightly, a forced action in an attempt to appear more friendly. "Now," she began, pausing momentarily to recall the child's name. "Michael." Yes, that was it – such an odd name. "Does your mother know you're playing dressed like that?"

"Well she most certainly does now!" an older woman replied, marching out of the garage. "Michael, you get inside this instant! Good morning, Fae."

The little boy, with a huff, peddled straight into the garage, not wanting to disobey his mother. "Such a handful!" the woman continued, shaking her head. "Just wait until you and your husband start a family, Fae, then you'll understand!"

There was another forced grin from Elphaba's behalf. "Good morning to you too, Mary," she replied simply.

"Fiyero has the day off today?"

"He has every weekend off," Elphaba answered quickly. This was a conversation they had had before and she had grown annoyed of it. "And he's still sleeping, so, no, we won't be able to go to that church of yours," she added rather shortly. She was a bit moody this morning.

"Oh," the woman was a little taken back. "Well, perhaps next week."

"Perhaps," Elphaba repeated. "Have a good time at your church."

"We will."

Elphaba gave the other woman one last smile and walked back into the house without a glance back. May be she had been a bit too temperamental, but that woman… It was the same thing every time they spoke – when were she and Fiyero going to start a family? After all, Fiyero had a stable job and she must be incredibly lonely every weekday in that empty house.

What did that woman know?

Granted, Elphaba did feel alone, but she was out of her element! This place was not Oz! She missed Glinda, even more so during those work days when Fiyero was out of the house and the only companion she had was herself. She had to go back – she had to check up and make sure everyone back in Oz was alright! It would not take long, he had to see things her way. He just had to –

"Good morning, Fae…"

His voice snapped her back to reality. She had apparently made her way into the kitchen, newspaper in hand. A genuine smile overcame her at the sight of her Fiyero leaning against the counter next to the coffee maker in a plain white t-shirt and boxers. She tossed the paper on the table and immediately went to embrace him. She snaked her arms around his waist and pulled him close as she rested her head against his chest. In this world, he was the only connection she had to Oz.

It was no unusual for Elphaba to hug him in the morning like this, no, but the completely empty look she had on her face worried him. He would address it in a moment if she did not say anything, but for now he simply returned her hug and placed a small kiss on the top of her head. They stood there in that embrace, listening to the silence that was disrupted by the noise of the coffee maker.

They embraced for a while before Elphaba finally spoke up. "Mary asked us to that church again," she murmured, still holding on to him.

"And what did you tell her?" he murmured back.

"That you were still sleeping – thought you were," she answered honestly as she stepped away from the embrace. Elphaba turned around and went back over to the newspaper on the table. Pulling off the rubberband, she unraveled it and pretended to be interested in the headlines. "Also said we should start a family," she added with a slight shrug of the shoulders.

"Well that's rather none of her business now, isn't it?" Fiyero remarked. He had turned around to fetch two mugs out of the cupboard. He took a hold of the coffee pot and began to pour.

"Absolutely none of her business," Elphaba agreed, eyes still locked on the newspaper.

"Fae…"

Elphaba turned to face him. He was looking back at her, holding the two cups of coffee, one in each hand. He extended one to her and she took it. "Is that what's bothering you?" he asked.

"Mary's always been nosey," Elphaba replied matter-o-factly, as she took the cup from him.

"That's not what I meant."

She knew that was not what he meant, she had been trying to buy herself a little bit more time. Elphaba took a small, careful sip from her cup of coffee. "I've been thinking about it," she admitted. "About her," she corrected. "It's been a year."

"I know it has," he replied. "Been thinking about her too."

"We could have taken her-"

"We didn't know what this world would be like, Fae," Fiyero reminded. "We didn't know what to expect and we didn't want to risk that, remember?"

"I remember," Elphaba replied. "We did what we thought was the right thing at the time."

"What do you mean, Fae?"

"I mean," she began slowly, trying to piece her argument together carefully. "Fiyero, it's been a year and we don't know anything – we left everything up to chance. We left hoping she would be safe, we don't know if she actually is. We don't know if she's with Glinda or – "

"No," Fiyero interrupted, setting his mug on the counter. "We can't think that way."

"But that's how it is, Yero!" Elphaba snapped back. "What if Glinda wasn't the first back into that room? What if Glinda didn't take her in?"

"Then she's with someone else!" Fiyero replied. "She's with a family and her heritage will never be discovered, she won't be traced back to us. She's safe regardless of the situation and that's how you have to see it – she's safe, Fae."

Now Elphaba set her own cup down. "But don't you want to know? Don't you want to be sure?" she asked.

He sighed heavily. Fiyero knew he had to be careful with his answer otherwise he would be pinned as the bad guy – and he truly was not. He was only thinking about everyone's safety in this situation. "Yes, Fae, I do," he answered. "I want to know for certain that she is somewhere where she is loved unconditionally whether it be with Glinda or another caring family, but there's no way we can know."

"There is a way."

"We can't go back to Oz," he quickly stated. "We can't – no one can know we are alive-"

"No one will know."

"I'm a scarecrow and you're green in Oz," he pointed out. "We really don't exactly blend in, Fae."

"You don't have to lecture me about blending in!" Elphaba snapped. "I was pretty damn good at sneaking around undetected both when the witch hunts were taking place and after the melting."

"Elphaba, it's out of the questions!" Fiyero could not help but snap back himself. "You are all I have and I won't risk that! If you go back there, someone may see you – or capture you – and then what?"

"They won't capture me, Fiyero!" Elphaba retorted. "I evaded those guards every single time-"

"With my help!" he reminded. "The guards had you in Munchkinland-"

"That was when Nessa was killed! I had to go to her side!" Elphaba shouted. She felt herself beginning to shake. "They used her death against me!"

This was becoming messy. Fiyero knew he had to step down, they were both walking a very thin line at the moment due to this touchy subject. "Fae," he said gently, taking a couple steps towards her.

"Don't you 'Fae' me!" Elphaba warned, nostrils flailing.

"Fae," he repeated again, reaching out to place his hands on her forearms. "If anything were to happen to you, I don't know what I'd do – you're my world. We promised to be together forever and we've risked so much to get where we are today."

Elphaba looked up at him, knowing full well that he was speaking from the heart. He did not want to lose her and she him for that matter. "This has been incredibly hard, Yero – this whole year."

"I know," he replied. "I've seen you."

She furrowed her eyebrows at him.

"You're not as sneaky as you think you are, Elphaba Thropp," he stated with a grim smile. "Not when it comes to hiding your emotions anyway. You think about Oz a lot, don't you?"

"Well, don't you?"

"Yes, but-"

"But?"

"But," Fiyero repeated. "I have you here in this world. That's what matters."

Elphaba could not argue, not when Fiyero had risked his life to save her from the guards. He had been a Winkie prince, royalty. He gave all that up to be with her here. "I just can't help it – I mean, not only the little one, but Glinda-"

"Glinda's –"

"Don't say fine!" Elphaba cut him off. "She's not, she can't be – she kept my hat from the melting and my mother's keepsake." For the time being, she did not mention that somehow Glinda had two of them. "And probably my broom also, but I didn't find that."

"Fae, it's not unusual to keep a keepsake," Fiyero pointed out. "You had your mother's bottle."

His reasoning had backed Elphaba into a corner. Yes, she did keep her mother's bottle after her death so it really was not strange for Glinda to keep a few items to remember her by, but it was not the same! Her mother was actually dead and gone – they were alive and well! She knew Fiyero would not see it her way, this was a losing battle on her part, but that was not going to stop her from trying. Far from it.

"Fiyero, you don't understand!" Elphaba protested.

"Tell me what I don't understand, Fae," Fiyero replied. "Clearly I don't recall the witch hunts, how all of Oz wanted you dead."

"All of Oz thinks me dead!" Elphaba remarked. "We were able to hide for a year in Oz without any trouble which you obviously don't recall!"

"And why would you want to go back to that?" he immediately questioned.

Elphaba threw her hands up in the air and resisted the urge to scream out of frustration. "No, I don't want to go back!" she shouted. "Not to that! Fiyero, I want to – I need to know that Glinda is okay, that our plan at least worked."

He knew she was not going to stop any time soon. Once Elphaba's mind was made up, there was no changing it, but Fiyero was capable of being stubborn as well. "She was fine when we were in hiding," he reasoned. "And wounds only heal over time, Fae. Glinda's fine."

"She was not fine during those public appears," Elphaba interrupted. "I know her, I know when she's acting, Yero. What can one little visit do? I can appear right outside Emerald-"

"I?" Fiyero repeated. "Not only do you have this ridiculous idea, but you wanted to go alone?"

"I knew you would be against it from the beginning," she murmured.

Before he could say another word, Elphaba had stormed out of the kitchen. No, she had not given up. This was far from over and Fiyero knew it. Instead of following directly behind her, he took a seat at the kitchen table and picked up the newspaper she had brought in. He pretended to give a damn about the headlines but the reality of the matter was that he could not care less. His mind was wondering to the matter at hand.

Elphaba was a fighter, used to having to work and used to having thick skin. It was a horrible combination in situations like this where she had attempted to pin him as the bad guy in this plan of hers. Elphaba was good, he had to admit, be he was willing to be the bad guy this time around if it meant keeping her safe in this world and away from the dangers of Oz.

He sacrificed a lot to protect her, Elphaba was well aware of that. In Oz, Fiyero had been a prince and leader of the Gale Force. He had been respected until he decided to follow his heart and protect her. He allowed her to escape in Munchkinland which meant his betrayal to the Gale Force and to the Wizard and he had been beaten brutally for it.

Fiyero ruffled through the pages of the newspaper which still had not caught his attention at all. His eyes were staring blankly down at the text as his mind continued to be elsewhere. Their original plan was not carried out, the plan to flee Oz right after Elphaba's melting, but she became incredibly sick. It was not too long after when they found out Elphaba's condition which forced them to reconsider this whole plan. Neither of them could have expected a child.

In a perfect world, they would have been happy – he would have been at least. Fiyero would have wanted to raise a family with Elphaba. He would have loved to see that little girl grow up into an independent woman, but they did not have that luxury. However, that did not mean he was not a good father – he wanted to give the child a life she deserved, a safe one away from any connection to them.

The child was safe by default in his mind. No connection to the leader of Gale Force who betrayed all of Oz or to the Wicked Witch of the West. It did not matter if the child was taken in by Glinda or another – right?

Was he second guessing himself?

Elphaba was good.

With a heavy sigh, FIyero refolded the still unread newspaper and tossed it against the table. He stood up and finally followed after his love. Slowly and silently, he dragged himself up the stairs before walking down the hallway to their room where he found Elphaba curled up on their bed with her back to him. She did not move which meant either two things: she honestly did not hear him or she was ignoring him on purpose. Fiyero was betting his money on the second if anything at all.

"Fae," he spoke up.

No response. She was ignoring him. Great.

"Fae," he repeated. "This means a lot to you, I know. TO me too and… if you need to go…"

As his voice trailed off, Elphaba sat up and turned around to face him in bed. Her dark eyes narrowed slightly in confusion as they met his. He smiled grimly. "Then go, Fae, but please come back to me."

Elphaba was immediately on her feet. She quickly crossed the room to where he stood at the doorway. She snaked her arms around him and placed a kiss on his lips as he returned her embrace. "Aren't you coming…?" she asked.

"A scarecrow with poor motor skills will only slow you down," he pointed out. "And put you in more danger – one torch and I'm a goner in Oz, Fae. I'll only hold you back and things will only be more dangerous."

He was right. "I won't be gone long," Elphaba promised.

"Just a couple hours?"

"Probably less than that if I can get right into the Emerald City."

"This is a conversation I never imagined us having," Fiyero admitted. "You realize this is going to feel like an eternity – being away from you."

"I won't be long, I'll be back before you know it," Elphaba reassured. There was no reason to stay long in a world that ultimately feared her. She just needed to see that Glinda was okay.

Fiyero placed a kiss on her forehead. "Just be careful and hurry back – the clothes we left Oz in, they're in the attic."

**xxxxxx**

The faint emerald glow radiating off the walls of the secret passage she had ran down a year ago felt so familiar and incredibly foreign at the same time. She had remembered them being brighter, but that did not matter at the moment. Luckily for her, she appeared in this hall and so far she did not have to worry about any guard – this would change at the end of the passage without a doubt.

Elphaba preceded slowly mostly an attempt to calm her nerves and to keep her thoughts cleared of any emotion that would interfere. She reached out towards the door handle and caught herself staring down at her gloved hand. In a few minutes she had been back in Oz, she had not checked the color of her skin. She already knew what she would see and, well, she did not want to. There was really no need to either.

Her eyes moved up to the door itself as her lips began to move, mumbling a chant that had greatly aided in her escape from the palace during her last visit. When her mumbling came to a stop, she waited to hear someone falling over, but the sound never came. Perhaps she was not able to, maybe she remembered the door being thinner. Did the spell actually work? Was there anyone standing on the other side of this door? Would she be able to defend herself is someone was?

Too many questions. Too many risks.

Maybe Fiyero had been right about everything.

_"It's time to close my eyes and leaps!"_

No, she had to do this! Elphaba pushed against the door which creaked loudly as it swung open. Fortunate for her, no one was standing on the other side, but the damn thing had been pretty loud and she did not know where the nearest guard was. Needless to say, she had to move. She closed the door which was equally as loud as opening it and began to trek to the room she believed to be Glinda's. The palace was definitely as large as she remembered it, but she recalled security being tighter.

The anniversary of the melting would call for tighter security, wouldn't it? Were they having a meeting of sorts like last time? Yes, perhaps that was it – then she did not know when they would be back. She had to hurry. All she had to do was poke around Glinda's private chamber, she would be back with Fiyero soon enough. She would not need the couple of hours she had been given.

Elphaba went up countless stairs and ventured up and down various halls before coming to a stop in front of the door to Glinda's private room. She grabbed a hold of the handle and the door she had expected to be locked swung open with a loud creak as if it had not been open for years, but that was no possible, of course. The room was dark and musty, Elphaba concluded as she stepped inside.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the lighting of the room and when they did, she was taken back. The window that was usually open was close and the curtains drawn. The room no longer radiated with her old friend's personality. Even with the limited lighting, Elphaba could see that most of the décor that screamed 'Glinda' was gone and some of the dressers were missing as well. The bed was made, she could tell that much, meaning that the room was still in use otherwise it would not have been made at all.

Had Glinda scaled back in the last year? That did not seem like her, not in the slightest. If anything, ELphaba expected her to expand. Yes, maybe that was it, that had to be it. Glinda would not downgrade, she could still recall their Shiz days – their very first day even. Glinda had been rolled in on a mountain of suitcases all containing belongings she simply could not do without. Unfortunately, she was forced to do without some of those belongings when she had volunteered to share a room with Elphaba – so much for a private suite. She had not been keen on splitting the space with a strange green girl. Truth be told, Elphaba knew she despised it greatly.

_"I will be loating for forever loathing truly deeply loathing you my whole life long!"_

Elphaba had to smile slightly. Friendship could be found in the strangest of places – in a spoiled blonde brat from the Upper Uplands or in the odd green skinned girl who just did not seem to really belong anywhere. No one would have guessed on the first day at Shiz that the two would have been incredibly close friends.

So Glinda must have moved into a larger chamber. She must have needed to, maybe she needed more space because she had decided to take in the young child. That had to be it! Glinda must have taken the little one and needed the extra room to spoil the little girl-

Elphaba's train of thought froze immediately at the feeling of a point being pressed against her back in between her shoulder blades. Someone had snuck up behind her – how had that been possible? She had been careful, had been double checking all the corridors and hallways!

Stay calm. She had to stay calm.

"I don't take kindly to people sneaking around one of my rooms."

Instantly, Elphaba's body tensed. Not only had she been caught, but she had been caught by Glinda of all people. She stood there, frozen, mentally debating if she should cast a spell on her old friend.

"We were warned about any potential attacks by rebel groups being the 20th anniversary of the Witch's melting."

Elphaba's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she tried to recall what possibly happened in Oz when she was a child, but then it dawned on her – the Witch's melting. Glinda had been talking about her! 20 years? No, she must have misheard. After all, only two years have passed, right?

Something was different about Glinda's voice. Without a doubt, it was her friend, but… she did sound older. What was going on here?

"Turn around, intruder. Glinda the Good wishes to know who attempted to attack her."

Elphaba released a shaky sigh and slowly turned around. The wand was now pointed to her chest. Just as slowly, Elphaba raised her head and lowered her hood. This action was met by a sudden gasp – a confirmation that her skin still must have been green.

_**To Be Continued**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** The Returnance

**Author: **AoN

**Word Count: **5,300

**Genre:** Drama, Adventure

**Rating:** PG-13

**Feedback:** Please and thank you! Let me know what I'm doing right or doing wrong.

**Summary:** After many celebrations of the Wicked Witch's death, a new evil appears in the wonderful land of Oz, forcing Glinda the Good to confront the decisions she had made in the past and to accept a truth she cannot fully grasp.

**Author's Note: **I am sorry for the delay of this chapter especially since the last one was such a cliffhanger! I have to admit, I am currently not working on this fan fic, but I have up to chapter ten completely written down in a notebook.

**Chapter Seven**

An expression of complete and utter shock overcame the usual calm and collective Glinda the Good as the ghost of her long dead best friend appeared before her. For a split second, she had convinced herself that her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she did not dare blink for she feared the vision before her would disappear – yes, a vision! This woman standing before her looked as old as the Witch did when she melted or perhaps green skin ages remarkably well. If that was the case, why had the Witch been hiding from her all these years? She could understand hiding from all of Oz, but her?

No, Elphaba was dead! Glinda saw the whole thing! The initial reaction of shock was replaced by anger and she held the wand straighter. "You've done your homework, I'll give you that much credit," Glinda sneered. "But you can't fool me and I won't let anyone else dirty her name even further. Your plans have been foiled."

The imposter did not say anything and only continued to hold her hands in the air. Of course, she was speechless, Glinda thought. The woman probably was not expected to be caught. "I only have one question before I summon the guards to take you away. Who put you up to this? Was it Azure or a rebel group?" Glinda demanded, but got no answer. "Answer me!"

Elphaba winced at the harsh tone, an unfamiliar tone coming from her once close friend. Getting a better look at her, she could conclude that Glinda had aged, but how could twenty years have past when they feld Oz only last year? It made no sense! "I'm here on my own will," Elphaba replied and noticed that Glinda's wand flattered slightly at her voice. "Glin," she stated using her old pet name. "Glin, I know it's hard to understand, but it's me – it's Elphaba. It's Elphie."

Whatever Glinda had been expecting, it was not that – not the old nicknames they had given to each other back in their university days. A part of her wanted to lower her wand, but her rational mind would not let her. As much as she wanted this woman to be her Elphie, Glinda could not afford to let her guard down. This was how she had to live her life, always defending herself and her small little family. "Persistent, aren't you? The jig is up – Elphaba – or as you people call her, the Wicked Witch of the West – died twenty years ago and I saw everything."

The raw emotion Glinda was trying to hide in her voice was breaking Elphaba's heart. How could she prove herself to Glinda? "Back at Shiz," Elphaba began, rattling her brain for anything. "The night of the party at the Ozdust ballroom – you gave me my hat, telling me that black was the new pink. That night, I told you the secret about my mother's keepsake and you got upset because you had told me a good one for it – we became friends that night."

Glinda's wand lowered slightly.

"After Galindifying me that night, you overslept and missed class the following morning," Elphaba added. Who else besides the two of them would know that story? If she had been an imposter, she would not have known, especially since it was an event that happened just between the two of them in their shared room. "I tried to wake you and sweet Oz, you did not budge one bit."

Elphaba could tell that Glinda was physically shaking. The wand was no longer pointed at her and Glinda's free hand was covering her mouth as her bright blue eyes began to tear up.

"Faking my death was the only way to make everything right," Elphaba tried to explain as she lowered her hands finally. "It was the only way to get the witch hunts to stop, to restore peace in Oz-"

"Oh Elphie!"

Before Elphaba could explain any further, Glinda had interrupted her with a tight, embracing hug which had caught her off guard completely. Just moments ago, Glinda looked like she was ready to murder Elphaba where she stood. She also had not expected for her to break down into sobs as well which only alarmed the green woman who did not want to be caught. May be Glinda still received a lot of respect from her fellow Ozians, but this situation would be difficult to explain regardless.

Perhaps Glinda was thinking along the same lines when she gently pushed them both into the room and closed the door behind her. With a flick of Glinda's wrist, the room was illuminated, revealing that it was no longer as homey as it once was. Stepping away from the embrace, Elphaba witnessed that murderous look reappear on her dear friend's face – it had every right to be there, Elphaba would be the first to admit.

"Glin, listen, I can explain-"

"Oh, you have a lot of explaining to do, Elphaba," Glinda agreed, her tone a mixture of annoyance and hurt. "You've been dead for twenty years – or at least hiding-"

"Believe me, it hasn't been that long-"

"I'm glad to know time has flown by, must have been having fun-"

"Far from it, Glin," Elphaba quickly retorted. "It's physically been two years for me since the melting and, no, I don't know how that's at all possible," she answered before she could be questioned.

"Time moves forward at an equal rate in all of Oz, I would assume," Glinda pointed out.

"I wasn't in Oz," Elphaba replied. "Well, for the first year I was but then I've been in Kansas for the last year-"

"Kansas?" Glinda repeated, eyebrows furrowing. "The land that farm girl Dordy was from?"

"Dorothy," Elphaba corrected. It was a name she would never be able to forget. "And I assume the very same. Leaving Oz was the only way we could be safe. It was FIyero's idea and he didn't come back-"

"Fiyero?"

Elphaba stopped speaking immediately. Glinda's expression had darken. Elphaba had just stumbled upon a touchy subject and she was well aware of it – she also knew that it would only get worse. "Everything we did was out of necessity, Glin," she tried to explain. "We didn't want to hurt you."

"Didn't want to hurt me!" Glinda nearly shrieked. "The two of you have been dead to me – all my friends died twenty years ago! You, him, Nessa – is she alive too?"

"No," Elphaba replied honestly, trying to mask the emotions that were brought on by the mentioning of her sister. "No, Nessa is dead. That hadn't been part of the plan."

Glinda was doing her best to take everything in. It was incredibly overwhelming and not all of it made sense. "So were the guards in on it? I saw them take him away, Elphie."

"They weren't in on it, no," she answered. "They beat him to near death. I-I saved him with a magic spell. I wasn't able to concentrate, I did the best that I would. I turned him into a scarecrow."

That word echoed in Glinda's mind.

Scarecrow.

He had been turned into a scarecrow.

A scarecrow.

What was it that Captain Tandy told her all those years ago? One of his men claimed to have been attacked by a scarecrow after another had witnessed a dark figure – much like Elphaba was dressed now – emerge from her room the night she found Nissa…

Everything was clicking, the pieces of the puzzle were coming together. Glinda's eyes widen, she all of a sudden became very dizzy. "She's yours – you two," she murmured in disbelief.

"W-What?"

"Don't you dare play coy with, Elphaba Thropp!" Glinda snapped. "I had hoped for a little while that that was the case, but I had convinced myself it couldn't have been – you two had died after all. It's true, isn't it?"

"What's true?" Reality of the matter was that Elphaba had a pretty clear idea of what Glinda was talking about, but she did not want to admit it, especially if the idea in question was wrong.

"19 years ago there was a breach of security," Glinda stated, voice shaking. "Intruders – they were you two. You and him." She waited for Elphaba to nod slowly. "Sweet Oz, Elphie, you bore a child…"

Elphaba lowered her head slightly as she nodded again. She was feeling… what was it? Was it guilt? "The only way to keep her safe was to give her up – we couldn't think of anyone else-"

"You did it to protect her."

"Yes."

Glinda was about to comment when the door to the private chamber flew open causing both women to jump as guards busted in. "Lady Glinda, are you alright? We heard – it's the Witch!"

"Seize her!"

Elphaba had already begun chanting and Glinda had stepped in front of her, wand at the ready. The two guards had advanced, the tip of Glinda's wand began to glow brightly. With a hard swing, a loud bang exploded from the tip. A bright ball of energy charged and collided with the two guards, knocking them off their feet, out cold. Elphaba stopped in mid-chant and stared at the back of Glinda's head in disbelief.

Turning around to see Elphaba's shocked expression, Glinda could not help but smirk slightly. "They don't just hand out degrees in sorcery at Shiz," she remarked before growing serious. "We need to get out of here – they'll wake up soon enough and Azure will have a field day," she remarked, walking around Elphaba to cross the room to the window which she opened.

Elphaba turned on her heel. "Who's Azure?" she questioned.

"The current ruler of Oz," Glinda answered, using her wand to summon her bubble. "And he has been for the last 18 years – he rules out of fear and once he finds out the Wicked Witch has returned, it's the end of Glinda the Good."

"Just say I attacked you," Elphaba replied. "And that I escaped – I only came to make sure you were alright-"

"They won't believe me," Glinda interrupted. "They know we went to school together, they know we were friends – we have to go," she stated, holding her hand out to the green woman.

"They know?" Elphaba repeated. "Why do they know? I told you not to clear my name!"

"Oh, I kept that ridiculous promise of yours!" Glinda snapped, marching over to her. She grabbed Elphaba's wrist and dragged her to the window. "But they heard rumors," she lied as the two of them climbed through the window and into the bubble. "And Azure and I do not get along at all – we've tolerated each other, but once he gets word of this-"

"You'll be in danger," Elphaba finished. The bubble took off from the window and away from the palace.

"I don't care about my wellbeing as long as Nissa is safe," Glinda replied honestly, keeping her gaze away from her dear old friend.

"Nissa?"

"My-" the word got caught in her throat. "Your daughter," Glinda corrected herself.

Feeling her heart sink, Elphaba reached out and placed a hand on Glinda's shoulder. "No, yours," she admitted in a small voice, trying to comfort. "You name her Nissa? After Nessa?"

"Yes," Glinda murmured, glancing over at her for a moment. "I hope…" her voice trailed off. "I mean, I didn't know her name when I found her, did you two name her?"

"No."

"No?" The bubble swayed.

"Glinda!" Elphaba was envisioning the bubble popping and the two of them falling into the Emerald City below. "No," she repeated. "I… I knew we would have to give her away, I didn't want to get attached – it sounds terrible now, I'm aware of it now. It's a beautiful name, Glin."

Glinda could not help but smile like any proud mother would when speaking highly of their child. "She's a beautiful girl – well, young woman now. She's in her second year at Shiz and… now I can definitely see a lot of you in her."

Elphaba caught herself smiling slightly; she forced herself to look away. "Then she's safe at Shiz for the time being."

Glinda shook her head. "She came home last night. The anniversary of the melting is a holiday in Oz – at least in this part of Oz, but she won't be able to go back. Azure will have her questioned."

"This is all my fault."

"Elphie, don't say that," Glinda quickly responded, looking at her dear friend. "I can only imagine how you feel. You have birth to her, you're protective. You wanted to make sure she was okay," she tried to reassure the both of them. "You weren't expecting any of this, you couldn't have. You had no idea that Oz is so politically unstable."

"What?"

"Oh Elphie, so much has changed in the last couple of decades," Glinda commented gazing over her shoulder as they began to leave the Emerald City in the background.

Question after question was forming in her mind and Elphaba was having a hard time determining which she should ask. She followed her friend's gaze to the city. "Where are we going, Glin?"

"My home," she responded. "A little bit away from here. I moved away from the palace after adopting Nissa officially. I didn't want to raise her in the Emerald City."

A moment of silence passed between them before Elphaba spoke. "You did good, Glin."

"If only you knew, Elphie. I know I've disappointed you," Glinda responded, shaking her head. Elphaba could hear her voice shaking. "You were trying to make Oz a better place-"

"Glin, I could never be disappointed in you – not after all you've done for me," Elphaba pointed out.

For a moment, Glinda did not respond. She wanted to point out in return that Oz was in even worse shape now and all she could do was try to hold it together without upsetting anyone else, but she did not mention any of that. "Nissa is going to be home – we always celebrate today, the day we became a family," Glinda explained. "She knows who you are – I've told her stories when she was old enough to understand, I told her the truth about the Wicked Witch and the Wizard of Oz."

Almost immediately, Elphaba felt a warmth spread over her when Glinda told her that Nissa knew of her. In some indreict way, she had been part of the little girl's life. "I told you not to-"

"Clear your name, I know," Glinda stated as her familiar home came into view. "In front of the citizens of Oz, I will play along, but I want – I refuse to live a lie in my own home and Elphie… she knows she's adopted, knows that her origins are somewhere in the Victus…"her voice trailed.

"Don't tell her anything," Elphaba stated. It was a hard decision made long ago and it was even harder to reinstate it now. "She's better off not knowing – safer. Any connection to me and Fiyero would only put her in danger. He and I both betrayed the 'wonderful' Wizard of Oz."

Glinda heard Elphaba's tone change and echo with hatred as she mentioned the Wizard – the man who ended up being Elphaba's biological father. Nissa would probably never know of her origins and neither would Elphaba about her own. The irony was not lost on Glinda.

The bubble began to descend.

"I won't stay long," Glinda explained. "I need to go back – those men will still be out cold. I just need to speak with Azure first-"

"You're risking getting caught-"

"I'm risking a semi-normal life for Nissa," Glinda corrected, meeting Elphaba's gaze. "Maybe he'll believe his men attacked me and that, well, they just saw green due to the knocking on the head."

"From what I gather, this Azure is too dangerous to run that risk and what do you mean 'semi-normal?'" Elphaba questioned as the bubble landed in the grassy front yard.

"I was not joking when I said Oz is in a worst state," Glinda responded as the front door opened. She forced a smile, lowered her voice and continued as she watched the doorway. "The people of the Victus and more discriminated against than Animals."

"What?" Elphaba snapped before following Glinda's gaze. She had discovered why she was smiling.

The door had been opened by a fairly young woman who was power walking towards Glinda who was walking her way also. Elphaba lingered behind her for the moment and watched. She watched the slender dark, long haired girl embrace Glinda tightly. A few words were exchanged, but the only thing Elphaba noticed was the diamonds on her forearms that were shining brightly in the sun. Glinda seemed to have noticed as well. She scolded the girl and took off her shawl to wrap around the girl's shoulder.

When the two turned to face Elphaba, she felt herself freeze in place – even more so when she met Nissa's dark eyes. Elphaba was not sure how to read the girl's expression – disbelief at first? Excitement? Well, a character she had grown up hearing stories about who was standing before her. Elphaba would be excited too – well, she was excited, but for different reasons.

Glinda led the girl over and Elphaba's heart began to race even faster against her chest. Her breathe caught in her throat when she could make out the girl's facial features. She could see her beloved Fiyero in her.

"Nissy, this is my dear friend, Elphaba Thropp," Glinda introduced. "And Elphie, this my daughter, Nissa."

The young woman held out her hand, which Elphaba took. "I can't believe I'm actually you, Ms. Thropp – I never would have expected to."

"Elphaba," she corrected, amazed she was able to vocalize at all. "Or Elphie," she added. Out of everyone, she did not want the girl to be so formal, not to her, not at all.

"Auntie ELphie, even," Glinda added with a small smirk. "Let's go inside, shall we?"

The green woman nodded and she followed the two into the house. Once inside, Nissa took off her shawl, baring her shoulders once again in the white sundress she had on. Now being able to have a closer look, Elphaba did notice something different about the diamonds. Yes, they were still a shade of blue – Fiyero's had been a beautiful shade of blue, Elphaba noticed a faint tint of green.

Green.

She did not know how long exactly she had been staring, but it was long enough for Nissa to realize she had been. "Don't know if Mother clarified – I'm adopted-"

"Yes, she did," Elphaba replied as they all entered the living room. She knew all about the girl's linage, of course.

"Explains the diamonds, doesn't it? I don't exactly look like I'm from the Uplands – please, sit down," Nissa added, motioning to the couch.

"For all we know, you could be," Elphaba lied through her teeth as she took the seat she was offered. She still could not believe it – this young woman in front of her was her daughter. She was having a conversation with her daughter who was only supposed to be a year old, not twenty. Her mind could still not grasp the extreme time difference.

"Yeah and that's why I'm able to walk around baring my shoulders," Nissa said bitterly. "I'm sorry – that wasn't directed at you. I admire your work, fighting for equal rights for Animals," she explained, sitting against the arm rest opposite of the green woman. "If I could do half the things-"

"You're not putting yourself in danger," Glinda immediately interrupted. She did not bother to sit down.

Elphaba met Glinda's gaze before turning to Nissa. "Your mother's right. I had to go into hiding-"

"I already live in hiding. All the people of the Victus do," Nissa pointed out. "At least those of us who are even able to hide."

"What exactly happened in Oz that made the Victus so hated?" Elphaba questioned.

Nissa was about to explain, but Glinda spoke up. "Before we go into that touchy subject, there is another that must be dealt with," she stated. "The guards will only be cold for so long, they'll start speaking. It's only a matter of time-"

"You knocked out guards?" Nissa questioned, dumbfound.

Glinda shifted on her feet as she kept her gaze away from the young woman's. She cleared her throat before beginning to tell the story. Elphaba was kind enough not to interrupt until the very end. "And I've already told her going back is risky," Elphaba added. "Being spotted with the Wicked Witch of the West doesn't exactly help one's popularity."

Biting back a smile, Glinda shook her head. "Not going back is just as risky. At least now I would have the opportunity to say those guards attacked first. I fought back in self-defense-"

"And they hallucinated a green witch?" Elphaba asked raising an eyebrow as she frowned.

"It's not exactly unheard of. People hallucinate all the time."

"Mother, these are Azure's men," Nissa said, shaking her head. "No offense, but he will probably believe them over you. He's not too fond of you."

The expression the two of them were giving her way uncanny. They looked nearly identical. Of course they did. Elphaba was her biological mother, Nissa inherited that look from her. How was Glinda ble to disregard any of the similarity before?

Her question was immediately answered by the echoing scream in her mind that had haunted her in her nightmares for years. She had believed Elphaba to be dead, she saw her die after all. It was hard to believe that the woman sitting on her couch was the same one she witness die, the same she went to Shiz with. It was difficult to accept the fact that Elphaba was alive, that Elphaba had been hiding from her these last twenty years.

"Well," Glinda began slowly, forcing herself back into reality. There would be time to be upset at Elphaba later. For now, she had to worry about protecting her family. "Yes, that may be the case, but if I speak to Azure first, we have a better chance of being safe."

"Mother-"

"Nissa," Glinda replied shortly. "Think of what would happen if I do nothing. Azure will start rumors. 'Glinda the Good harboring the Wicked Witch of the West.' It's exactly what Azure needs to win the rest of Oz over with. He will frighten all of them. I'll have the rebels on my side and they are a bunch of looneys."

"Glin, what are you talking about?"

"Elphaba, I don't have time to go over twenty years' worth of Ozian history," Glinda snapped. "Maybe if you would have stayed you would understand that the people of the Victus are discriminated against because the Wicked Witch of the West hid in Kiamo Ko or that I'm constantly judged because of my alledged friendship with the Wicked Witch of the West or that rebels worship the Wicked Witch of the West."

"Now wiat just a clock tick," Elphaba found herself nearly growling as she stood up.

"No, Elphaba. I do not have a clock tick to spare," Glinda retorted. "I have always done what's right for my family – for my daughter. I'm her mother. Her wellbeing comes first. This is what I have to do to reassure that."

Before Elphaba could retort with a comeback, Glinda had already turned around and left the room. Nissa was quickly up as well and after her mother, leaving Elphaba alone in the living room, frozen in place. Glinda and Nissa exchanged some words, but Elphaba was not able to make out any of it. She heard the slamming of the door just fine, that was for certain.

Silence fell over the house. For a second, Elphaba was convinced she was alone. This would be perfect time to disappear from Oz, from Glinda again. She never should have returned, Fiyero was right – he was always right. She should have listened to him.

With a heavy sigh, Elphaba closed her eyes and began to concentrate on her beloved Fiyero, on the home they had made together-

"I'm sorry about that…"

Elphaba's eyes snapped back open. No, she was not home, she was still in Oz, still in Glinda's lavish living room and Nissa was standing in the doorway. Her twenty year old flesh and blood was standing in the doorway and Elphaba swore she would not speak the truth. "Even after all these years, Glinda still short tempered and hot headed." Elphaba replied with a forced smile. "After what I did to her, I deserved a heated reaction like that."

"What did you do if you don't mind me asking," Nissa questioned, still lingering at the doorway. "I mean, we're taught about the Witch Hunts and the Great Melting in school. That you were – are… were an enemy of Oz but mother taught me otherwise. Each version ended the same way though – the melting."

"The melting," Elphaba repeated, lowering herself back on the couch. "A ridiculous rumor started up about me and water. I faked my death. It was my only way out. No one could know, it was the only way we could be safe. I wanted to tell Glinda – did she leave?"

"Bubble and all," Nissa answered. "You said 'we.' You weren't alone?"

Elphaba was silent for a split second as she watched the young woman. "No, I wasn't," she replied. "My… husband – well, now husband, was with me. It was his idea."

"Your husband?"

Yes, husband, Elphaba thought. Your father. "Fiyero. He was captain of the guard-"

"And the Victus prince," Nissa added.

"Glinda's spoken about him?"

Nissa shook her head. "Rarely.. I focus on the Victus in my studies at Shiz," she explained. "He betrayed the Wizard to save you. Many scholars argue that's where all the hatred towards the Victus started."

"Focus on the – I'm sorry, but why is it called the Victus and not Winkie Country? Fiyero called himself the Winkie prince," Elphaba said.

"You've been away from Oz for a while," Nissa commented, still at the doorway. "In the ancient dialect, they referred to themselves as the Victus. The term 'Winkie' is common Ozian dialect and has become a degrogatory term over the last decade. Many still use the term, like Azure, but Mother and I don't. It's disrespectful."

Elphaba nodded slightly, showing that she understood. There was a lot she had to catch up on to say the last. "And you… you're half – part? Part Victus," she pointed out. "But I've noticed something about you, Miss Nissa. You don't refer to yourself as a Victus. 'They,' 'themselves' instead of 'we,' 'ourselves.' Why is that?"

There was a moment of silence that fell between them as Nissa thought about the question. Arms folded across her chest, she finally took a step inside the room and kept her eyes lowered. "I guess, well," she began as she looked up with a frown. "I'm obviously from the Victus, but I don't know. I was raised as a Gilikus and I've been forced to hide any part of me that screams Victus. It's not a part of me I've embraced. I don't know if that makes any sense."

"It does," Elphaba replied. "But you study it anyway."

"Because I know that's where my roots are," Nissa responded. "Or at least part. Granted, there are so many tribes with their own culture and traditions, but I feel like if I study a little of it all, I would find the tribe where my linage comes from – I'd never know which, I wouldn't be able to recognize it, but it's an interesting subject matter regardless," she answered with a small shrug of her shoulders, those diamond cladded shoulders.

"Does it bother you?" Elphaba asked softly, a question that had been plaguing her. "Not knowing? And I'm sorry if I'm being disrespectful."

Nissa, who had returned to her original armchair, shook her head. "Please, that's the first thing everyone asks – well, people are usually more blunt, asking if it bothers me that I've been abandoned."

"That's definitely harsher sounding," Elphaba agreed, feeling her heart plummet a bit.

"Yes and I don't like thinking that's the case," she answered honestly, glancing over to the green woman. "I mean, not everyone is meant to be a parent and I know, from what Mother tells me, that I was left for her to find me. Do I wonder who my biological parents are, what they were like? Yes, but everyone is curious by nature, but I can't let it define me. I am my mother's daughter. She raised me, loves me. I may not know my heritage, not completely, but I will always be Nissa Upland. I will always be hers."

Elphaba watched her silently. She could not help but smile, as faint as it was. "You have a good head on your shoulders, Nissa," she commented. "Glinda's done a great job at raising you."

Nissa looked over at Elphaba, completely unaware she was the woman who many of accused of abandoning her all those years ago. She returned the faint smile. "Thank you," she replied shyly, cheeks hinted with a bit of a blush. "I mean, yes, she has…" her voice trailed off slightly. She was staring and Elphaba was aware, but she had always been use to the staring.

"I'm sorry," the young woman murmured, quickly looking away when she met Elphaba's eyes.

"Staring comes with the territory of being different," Elphaba reassured both the young woman and herself. She had recently gotten use to not being stared at, gotten use to looking like what people called normal. "And I'm sure this is a little odd for you." Had the girl actually known the truth, this would have been a complete understatement. "You grew up thinking this terrible Witch was long dead and she's sitting on your living groom couch as we speak."

"For anyone else, yes, it would be a little daunting," Nissa admitted, nodding. "The Wicked Witch of the West who wanted to bring down all of Oz is in my house, but I'm sitting with my mother's late college friend and roommate, Elphaba Thropp, who wanted equality for Animals everywhere. The only surprising factor is that you're alive when we thought you to be dead."

A grim smile tugged on the corners of Elphaba's lips as a moment of silence fell between them.

"Nissa," Elphaba spoke up. "What G- your mother said before she left, about the discrimination of the Victus people… What did she mean it was because of me?"

"It's not because of –"

"The Wicked Witch and I are one in the same," Elphaba was quick to retort. "It's something I can't deny. Nissa, I need to know what has been going on in Oz during the time I was gone."

"If that's the case," Nissa began, standing up. "I'll get us something to drink – we'll be here a little while."

_**To be continued…**_


End file.
